GLENN R. TURNER   1949 – 2016

CHINA – Glenn R. Turner of China, former reporter and editor at the Morning Sentinel who spearheaded the newspaper’s transition to digital layout in the late 1980s, died Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, after a hard-fought battle with lung cancer, at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. He was 67.
Glenn was born March 4, 1949, in Waterville, the son of Richard M. Turner and Beverly J. (Tapley) Turner. He graduated from Waterville Senior High School in 1967 and from the University of Maine, Orono, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, in 1971. He met his future wife, Kathaleen Ladd, while they both were working at the Holiday Inn in Waterville. They married on Feb. 24, 1973, and had two daughters.
Glenn started working at the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a proofreader on March 25, 1973. He was quickly promoted to reporter, where he showed an innate ability to capture the essence of whatever he was covering. At weekly staff meetings, Glenn’s organizational skills became evident and he soon was known for his pie charts and graphs. Then-city editor Kenneth J. Morton was heard on more than one occasion to refer to Glenn as a “born newspaperman.”
He was promoted from reporter to various positions at the newspaper, including state editor, city editor, managing editor for operations, news projects manager and web and special projects editor. The multiple roles required integration of journalism, editing, technical, Web, budgetary and staff management skills and encompassed two production sites in Waterville and at the newspaper’s sister paper, the Kennebec Journal in Augusta.
Glenn was president of the Maine Press Association from 1993 to 1994 and treasurer and a member of the board of directors from 1994 to 2000. He served on the board of directors of United Way of Mid-Maine from 2000 to 2003. He retired from the newspapers in 2010 at 62, but continued to manage online weekly newspapers and worked for the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce in Waterville.
Glenn devotedly cared for his wife, Kathaleen, as she battled multiple sclerosis until her death in 2011.
At the time of his death, he was living with his longtime, loving partner, Susan A. Strasburg, in China.
In addition to Strasburg, he is survived by her son, Zachary T. Walter and his wife, April Snow, and their son, Brogan J. Walter; a brother, Timothy S. Turner and wife Cathy; daughter, Kristin L. Cronkite and husband, Jerod, their daughter, Maddison, and son, Jeremy and his wife Mckenzie and their son, Griffin; daughter, Melanie L. Sweet and husband, Chris, their son Isaac, their daughters Alexia Sweet and Baylie Dalton; nephews, Timothy Turner and wife Audra and their children Cayden and Autum, Robert Turner and wife Hillary and their children Addison and Rosalyn, Brooks Ladd and his wife Rebecca and their children Mathew and Nathan, Spencer Ladd and wife Li and their children Roland and Mackenzie; Arthur Ladd and his wife Shelby.
Glenn also was predeceased by his mother, Beverly J. Turner; father, Richard M. Turner; and wife, Kathaleen L. Turner.
The family would like to thank all the staff of MaineGeneral Medical Center, MaineGeneral Hospice, Hospice Care and the Alfond Cancer Center, for all their help and kindness.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, Main Street, Fairfield. Friends and family are encouraged and welcome to participate, with a luncheon to follow immediately at the Waterville Elks Lodge.