Robert Michael “Zeke” Turner, 74, of Huntsville, Arkansas, died Thursday March 31, 2022, while his wife Gladys held his hand.

He was born February 21, 1948 in Long Beach, California, to Vivian Oda (Wellman) Turner and Robert Wayne “Zeke” Turner.

Although spending his earlier years in Oklahoma, he attended the same high school in Long Beach as did Gladys. They met at a friend’s home watching the Beatles live on the Ed Sullivan show; both were 16.

Together they had many adventures: renting a small house near UCLA with banana and walnut trees; group living on Mt. Uminum near Santa Cruz, CA, where they managed a natural feed and hardware store; and in 1976 (bicentennial) moving to Arkansas driving an 18 gear 2-ton 1948 GMC painted red, white and blue with an eagle decal above the windshield and a redwood cabin on its flatbed.

Settling in Snowball, AR, he did various jobs helping local farmers and joined Snowball Tree planters for the winter months.

When he helped the county land surveyor, he found his true calling. After receiving a degree in Land Surveying from UALR in1988, he established Snowball Land Surveying.

He later moved his family to Madison County where he assisted several surveying crews. Crawling into ravines and climbing bluffs to find that allusive corner marker was a dream job for Zeke. While on the job he’d find many rocks and fossils and bottles to add to his collections, sometimes at the expense of the equipment he left behind.

His career was cut short when his Parkinson’s symptoms no longer allowed him to balance on that ledge or turn those intricate dials. This gave him time to build a greenhouse room onto his 1948 oak-studded home in Huntsville where he tended his orchids and amaryllis.

His infectious laughter and unending supply of jokes and tales will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife of 44 years Gladys Irene (Koons) Turner; brother, Curtis Wayne Turner; son and his wife, Forest Shade and Tara Dawn Turner; Tara’s son Ashton Simpson; grandson, Forest Rain Turner; and granddaughter, Mathilda Alyss Turner.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Rodney, Calvin, and Kieth Turner.

Services have not been scheduled at this time. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Madison County Funeral Service of Huntsville. Please visit www.madisoncountyfuneralservice.com to leave the family an online condolence.

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