Richard E. Turk's Obituary
Richard Turk passed away suddenly on Tuesday, August 18th at the age of 73. Rick was the son of Guyla and Henry Turk of Dekalb, Ill. Brother to Pat (Don) Queen, Jerry (Linda) Turk, Mary (George) Lambert and Don (Chris) Turk. Rick married Gayle (Raber) September 1969. They had two kids Scott (Naomi) Turk and Amy (Steve) Whinnery; and five awesome grandkids…Megan, Caden, Molly, Ella and Madison. Rick enjoyed spending time with his family playing cards, (always the official scorer of Oh Hell and Pitch), being at Pine Lake, fishing, skiing, boating, gardening and hunting. Grandpa’s legendary stories of catching “Big Mo” will go down in family lore as Big Mo never materialized out of Pine Lake… at least not yet. He was always seen putzing around the house fixing the things the grandchildren (or his son, son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, or wife) broke. He also enjoyed being in his garage building/creating projects for everyone. There is a part of dad in each of our classrooms and homes that will always have a special place in our hearts. He had a quiet sense of humor and legendary patience that made him a wonderful husband, father, teacher, mentor and leader. Rick had a reputation that preceded himself at Lakeland School in Walworth County where he worked with students with disabilities, their teachers and families for 30 years. He will be greatly missed.
We will be having a Celebration of Life on Saturday August 22nd from 1-4 at their home on Pine Lake. If you have questions please reach out to us for more details.
In lieu of flowers please send memorials to Lakeland School Walworth County, Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
What’s your fondest memory of Richard?
What’s a lesson you learned from Richard?
Share a story where Richard's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Richard you’ll never forget.
How did Richard make you smile?

