William Turner, 75, Sedalia, Mo.

William (Bill) M. Turner, age 75, passed away July 31, 2026, in Sedalia, Mo., in the presence of his loving and proud family. His passing came after a fight with cancer which he approached like everything else in his life, with selflessness and courage.

Given time for reflection he wished to pass on the following message to his many family, friends, and colleagues. Bill’s self-authored obituary:

Trust in our Lord, Jesus Christ, and walk with him!

I was born June 3, 1951, in Faribault, to my wonderful parents, Myron and MaryAnn Turner. My devout Catholic family of eight children lived on a farm in southern Minnesota with loving grandparents as neighbors. The greatest gift my parents gave me was their teaching and living by example the ways of our Lord. Provided with strong Christian values and a good “farm boy” work ethic, I served in the U.S. Army and obtained a master’s degree in aquatic ecology from St. Cloud State University.

By far my greatest accomplishment as a young adult was finding the love and “rock” of my life Carol. We were wed on June 29, 1973, and spent 53 wonderful years together. Everything we accomplished we did together, and I want to convey a deep gratitude and thankfulness to her for a lifetime of great experiences and memories. Our greatest joy was brought to us by our sons Nick and Andy and his wife Bethany, along with their great kids, Charlie, Graham and Lois. Our greatest sadness came at the passing of our baby girl, Ann.

I was created with a drive to serve others and a determination to protect the natural resources that are so vital to our livelihoods, culture and the generations that will proceed us. Thus, during my 32 years career with the Missouri Department of Conservation, I focused on innovative ways to conserve our river resources by serving in significant leadership roles focused on creating programs and laws that promoted river conservation. Late in my career I served as Fisheries Division chief and I also authored a book, Voices of Missouri’s Rivers.

Upon retirement, I turned my attention to serving members of our community, leading the Board of Directors of Open Door Services, Inc., the construction and management of the Open Door Kitchen service and helping to create the Winter Warming Shelter. I also took great pride in Leading the Mercy Rest Stop Coalition to the founding of Mercy Services United. Throughout the last 40 years I served St. Vincent de Paul parish, Sacred Heart School and the Sacred Heart School Foundation in an effort to continue these Catholic entities which are so vital to our entire community.

Please go back and read the first sentence again. God bless! Bill

Prayers of the Rosary will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at Heckart Funeral Home in Sedalia, where visitation will follow until 7 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, at St. Vincent de Paul Sacred Heart Chapel, with Fr. Chris Cordes presiding.

Burial will follow in Spring Fork Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to contribute to the community projects that Bill worked so hard to establish and maintain, Mercy Services United or the Sacred Heart School Foundation.