Robert Edgar Turner
20 March 1920 – 2 April 2016 |
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It is with sadness that the parish records the death on Saturday 2 April 2016 at the age of 96 of the Revd Canon Edgar Turner, former Rector of St George's Parish Belfast and Principal Registrar for the Diocese of Connor. Since his retirement in 1990 he and his family have been parishioners in St John's. |
Edgar was born in 1920 in Derry the only child of Robert Samuel and Ida
(neé Studdard) Turner.
On 6th September 1962 he married Liverpudlian Joan Hewson who
predeceased him. He was
father to Katy and Justin and father-in-law to Bláithín.
He studied at Foyle College, Magee University College, Trinity College
Dublin and Lincoln Theological College.
Ordained in Birmingham in 1946 he served a curacy in Kings Heath
Birmingham until 1951 when he returned to Ireland as the first full-time
Church of Ireland chaplain at Queens University Belfast.
In 1958 he was appointed rector of the parish of St George
Belfast where he stayed until his retirement in 1990.
Edgar was chaplain to the Northern Ireland Mixed Marriage Association
(NIMMA) from 1974 until his death; he was also a regular attender of
Glenstal Ecumenical Conference and a founding trustee of the Columbanus
Community of Reconciliation.
From 1982 he was the Registrar, then Principal Registrar, of the Diocese
of Connor, a role he also fulfilled until his death.
He was a Canon of Belfast Cathedral (1971-1976), a Canon of St
Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin (1976-1990), Honorary Secretary of Connor
Diocesan Synod (1979-1990), and a member of the Liturgical Advisory
Committee from its inception, latterly as an advisory member.
He attended the General Synod as a member and a visitor almost
every year from 1941 to 2015.
He was a recognised authority on Canon Law, Parish and Diocesan
Boundaries, parochial problem solving and Liturgical order.
An ardent football fan he supported Derry City from its foundation in
1928 and keenly followed Northern Ireland, attending home games
regularly and travelling to away games across Europe; his last away game
was to the Faroe Islands in September 2015.
In addition he was multi-lingual, a trained book-binder, a speedy
Sudoku and cryptic crossword solver, a competent handyman, a skilled
woodworker, and computer literate. |
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Address by the Venerable David
Pierpoint, Archdeacon of Dublin, at the Requiem Eucharist in St George's, High Street, Belfast on Thursday 7 April 2016 |
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Robert
Edgar Turner
Priest
1920 -
2016
Jesus
Said - “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them
shall be like a wise man, who
built his house on the rock.
The
rains fell and the floods rose, and the winds blew and beat upon that
house;
but it did not fall; because it
was founded on a rock.
(Matthew
Ch 7 vs 24 - 25)
When
Jesus calls his disciples, he underlines what type of people he has in
mind. Not at all the same
sort of people. Some are
poor in spirit, even mourners.
Others are meek or merciful.
There are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
There are the pure in heart and the peacemakers.
But whatever their individual talent, there ought to be one thing
that is common - that they seek first, the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness; Their houses
are built on a rock and not on sand.
All
these words about discipleship are Jesus’ words, and are remembered
because they were true of Jesus; so that when the rains fell and the
floods rose and the winds blew, he did not fall, because he too was
founded on a rock, the rock of his heavenly Father.
In
latter months, Edgar became a little frail and health failed him and he
was supposed to be confined to his home, but just a week or so ago, was
out for coffee and visiting friends before his enforced admission to
hospital. Yet, even that
didn't prevent him from following the Northern Ireland soccer
international last Monday week on the radio and in the company of his
rector, Robert Jones. Little
did we know when he first became ill that he was not long for this world
and would go to God peacefully and without fuss, just as he had lived.
When the rains fell and the floods rose and the winds blew and
beat upon that house, it did not fall; for it was founded on a rock.
And that rock was Christ. During
Edgar's ministry, the rains did fall, the floods certainly rose and many
winds beat upon him but he carried on regardless, with Christ at the
centre of everything he undertook and achieved.
Born in
Derry in 1920, Edgar grew up with his parents on Beechwood Avenue.
Like most boys, when he was off sick from school, he didn’t take
to his bed but rather played outside. The story is recounted that on one
such occasion, his mother, who at the time could not afford coal,
challenged the coalman for delivering coal to her back yard.
The coalman went on to explain that her son had saved his
business and this was his way of paying something back to the family.
On closer investigation, she discovered that the horse pulling
the cart could have slipped on ice on the hill outside Edgar's house so
the coalman asked the young Edgar to sit on the horse's neck to prevent
it from rearing up which with the cart attached could have broken its
back. Edgar duly obliged and
the coalman went off to get some help.
Arriving back some time later, the coalman discovered Edgar still
clinging onto the horse’s neck.
Everything worked out well and Edgar saved the day.
This attitude of dedication to the task set for Edgar was
repeated many times throughout his life and especially his priestly
ministry. It is also
noteworthy that he hadn't told his mother of his selfless act.
During
those early years, Edgar even visited the red plane in Gallagher's field
outside Derry city which had been flown across the Atlantic by Amelia
Earhart. When asked by
others what he thought about this, his response was one of amazement
that he had ridden in a motorcar!
While
at Trinity Edgar joined the Bray cycling club and this sport kept him
fit cycling extensively throughout Ireland, England, Wales, France,
Germany (before the war) and Switzerland.
On
completion of his degree Edgar travelled to Lincoln Theological College
which he has often said were the happiest of times. He had placements in
hospital, prison and school chaplaincies as well as learning the craft
of book-binding. He declined offers of curacies in Ireland preferring to
remain in England where he trained for ministry.
After a year, he was ordained as
deacon for the parish of Kings Heath, in Birmingham where he remained
for six years before returning to become Dean of residence at Queens.
It was during his time at Queens that Edgar met Joan, having been
the person she was told to find to help her out when her grant cheque
was not forthcoming.
In
1951, the then bishop of Connor, appointed Edgar to St George's only at
his institution to give him the express instructions that the church
should be closed. That was
like a red rag to a bull and the rest as they say is history.
Through years of bomb damage, violent threats,
anti-ecumenical protests and ultimately rejuvenation, Edgar Turner
remained faithful to the parishioners of this place and his church until
his retirement in 1990.
In
1962, he married Joan followed by the birth of Kate and Justin.
Family life as with any rectory family was often disrupted by
pastoral emergencies and in the Turner's case, the ongoing troubles in
Northern Ireland. On one occasion when the Rectory suffered severe
damage because of a bomb outside their home, Edgar still managed to
attend a church meeting once he knew his family and neighbours were
safe. As a family, they learned
to cope but still had time for holidays in the UK and France. On one
holiday, they visited the war graves in Normandy where Edgar instilled
in his children a sense of equality taking them to visit both the
British and German war graves. Edgar was determined to show that
regardless of which side people had fought, they were at all times God's
children. Such advice
and recognition of humanity has never been forgotten. In fact when Edgar
retired from Queen's the Chancellor commented that he had never before
seen everyone from himself to the kitchen staff and cleaners present to
acknowledge a man who acknowledged everyone, regardless of who or what
they were.
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His
talent for getting down and dirty was evident in his care of this
church, he wasn’t just a man with a voice and brain and sociability; he
could clean drains, erect precarious scaffolding to fix and change light
bulbs, climb onto the roof to fix slates and much more.
But above all else, he was a man
of devotion and moral character, of self-discipline and of prayer.
Of these, the Church of Ireland has been witness and a
beneficiary. He made this
parish of St George his family home where ministry and family life went
hand in hand. He officially
retired in 1990. That in
itself is somewhat a joke!
For he was from far from inactivity.
Right up to the time of his sudden health problems in early
March, he was regularly providing advice and help to all who asked for
his counsel. Though it must
be said, he never forced his opinions on anyone, at least not since
1990! Many of us here today
have been on the receiving end of one of Edgar's answers when a question
was put to him. You really
needed time on your hands when asking Edgar anything as his considered
response was likely to be almost a lecture.
Justin reminded me the other evening how he would ask his dad a
question, disappear and then leave Kate to listen to the monologue which
followed. Later, he would
ask Kate to give him a synopsis.
Many people know the story of one cleric asking Edgar a question
as the enterprise train pulled out of Belfast and still listening to
Edgar's considered response as they arrived in Dublin.
Football fans travelling to Slovenia will know this only too
well.
The
priestly formation in the catholic tradition was very secure under Edgar
and he developed a pastoral and teaching ministry of the highest
standard which few have surpassed since.
His intense conversations left one wondering where they had gone
wrong. Such was his passion
for correctness in everything. I vividly remember one General Synod
meeting a few years ago; Edgar's drink was sitting on our table for
quite a while as he had been asked to give his opinion on some legal
matter. I decided he needed
some sustenance, so brought his drink over and hovered near this holy
huddle. After a few moments,
Edgar, turned to me and said, "Do you mind, this is a private
discussion", while at the same time rescuing his whiskey from my hand!
That put me in my place but no offence was meant or taken. Yet
although he may have seemed severe and occasionally stubborn to people,
there were countless numbers who were drawn, not just to Edgar, but to
his church and finally to his Lord, many of whom went on for ministry
training. All found in this unique and generous man, a deep and
carefully considered belief, compelling teaching content to his sermons
but perhaps most of all, a profound reverence at the Sacrament of Holy
Communion.
Those
who stood with him at the altar of this or any church will testify to
his absolute absorption in the Eucharist.
He never projected himself, rather Christ.
I believe it was Archdeacon
Jenkins who once wrote “The
function of the priest is to draw aside the curtain between God and man,
and to lose himself in the folds”
Edgar did just that and brought many to faith by promoting the
gospel message of love and reconciliation through his ministry and his
devotion to the sacraments.
His
love and loyalty to the Church of Ireland never wavered though he often
became exasperated at the officialdom which slowed down progress.
An officious man himself, that part of his life never interfered
with his love of this place, his parishioners, his family and the duties
of his priestly ministry which he valued more highly than everything
else. The following words
from an unknown source might well sum up his ministry and the
congregation of St George’s which became an extension of his family:
Here at this altar the
Real Presence, the very Gospel activity of our Saviour, will not fail
us. And as our forebears
proclaimed Jesus in the broken bread, so we pray that this faith will
continue to be ministered and taught fearlessly in this place”.
It
would be remiss of me not to mention Edgar's love of The Beautiful Game,
having been a lifelong supporter of Derry City Football Club since its
inception in 1928 and of course his close association with the IFA and
the Northern Ireland soccer team. Edgar endeavoured to never miss a
Northern Ireland home game.
For Pat Jennings’s 100th cap, he travelled from a Church meeting in
Dublin to find the gates locked!
Did this deter Edgar, no!
He climbed over the back wall of Windsor Park to get in, such was
his determination to be in attendance on such a special night. He was
recognised as the team's oldest travelling supporter even making it to
the Faroe Islands last September.
As some of you will have read in recent newspaper reports, he was
already booked for the European finals in France later this year … all
the way to the finals!
Edgar
was not just a man who hung around holy people, and this is evidenced by
so many gathered here today who have perhaps little or no faith.
He never judged people who didn’t believe in God, but saw God in
all people.
We
mourn and yet we do not mourn.
We weep and yet we rejoice - we in the Church and further afield,
who are very different kinds of people with many differing gifts and
talents - have one thing in common - we have all been touched by the
life and witness of Edgar Turner, a Priest of the Church - making us all
one body in the fellowship of Christ.
Kate,
Justin and Bláithín ministered to him, you loved him and there were
prayers and conversations for which I know both he and you are most
grateful. I know they would wish me to pay special thanks to the rector
of St John's, Malone Road, Robert Jones who walked with them and Edgar
through the darkest of hours over these past number of months. To the
nurses and doctors who cared for him both at home and in hospital and
his friend, Oliver who visited daily, thank you all for your kindness
and compassion.
Yet, we
are not the ones who are burying a dad.
Kate, Justin and Bláithín mourn so much more than us.
Not only have they lost a dad and a father in law, they have lost
a friend, a confidant, a mentor and much more besides.
When I asked each of them to sum up what Edgar meant to them,
they used words, like thinker, teacher, a character, one of a kind but
above all a dad.
Kate, Justin and Bláithín, please be assured of our prayers for you all
at this most difficult time and as you remember all that was good in
your Dad's life as priest and father, may you also be assured of God's
presence as you continue to live your lives as your dad would have
wished and the love for all people that he instilled in each of you.
His faith was firmly built on the rock of his Saviour Christ.
May yours and ours be the same.
Well
done, good and faithful servant, receive the reward which God has
promised to those who love and serve him.
Robert
Edgar Turner: Priest,
friend, colleague and above all, Dad;
May you
rest in peace to rise in glory. Amen
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