RITA SPRANKLE TURNER's Obituary
Rita Sprankle Turner, born February 27, 1929 in Kingsport, Tennessee passed away February 25, 2017. Rita’s family moved to the Redlands in southern Miami-Dade County in 1944. She graduated from Redland High School in 1946 and Florida State University with a degree in Psychology in 1950. She was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at FSU.
Rita married Jack M. Turner in 1951 and settled in South Miami where Jack practiced law prior to serving as a Florida State Court Judge for over 30 years. She taught at Coral Gables Elementary School until the arrival of her first son in 1954.
Rita was active in the arts her entire life. She studied under several artists and was an accomplished portrait artist. Rita was involved with the Lowe Art Museum where she was active in Beaux Arts for many years. Later she joined the Docent Guild at Lowe where she served on the Board, was involved in provisional training, and taught Renaissance art in the prestigious Kress collection. Rita also took ballet classes for over 20 years, served on the board of Miami Ballet and the auxiliary board of the Miami City Ballet, and competed in ballroom dancing.
Her artistic creativity was recognized by many as the front door of her Coral Gables home was always decorated for holidays and local events. Rita was honored by the American Cancer Society as one of Miami’s 10 Best Dressed women of 1987. She was a member of Coral Gables United Methodist Church, the Gilded Lilies, the Beach Colony Club, Coral Gables Country Club, and other civic organizations.
Rita is survived by sons Jack Jr. (Christine) of Tallahassee and Steven (Lisa) of Coral Gables; grandchildren Elizabeth Ann, John Christopher (Rachel) and John Randolph (Samantha); great grandson John Karlisle; and brother Dale Sprankle (Carolyn) of Palo Alto, CA. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Judge Jack M. Turner; and her parents LeRoy and Jess Sprankle.
The visitation will be on Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm with the service to begin at 1:00 pm at Van Orsdel Coral Gables Chapel. Private interment will follow at Woodlawn Park South Cemetery, Miami, FL.
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