Maggie Turner was an exceptional person. She raised six children while married to a husband who had no time for church. However, due to her upbringing, and Christian influence, each of the children found a place to work in the church. Her eldest son (Joe) became a licensed lay readers for the Diocese of Kootenay. Her second son (Alfred) became a lay reader for Cranbrook. The oldest daughter (Mary) became the church secretary in Cranbook. The third son (Stan) became the head Knight of Columbus in Alberta and then nationally. The fourth son (Ray) became a priest who has served for 63 years. And now the youngest daughter has become a licensed lay minister in Oliver.
When Ray became a priest in 1963, he was elected chair of the Okanagan Anglican Camp (OAC). In 1965 the lady who was scheduled to cook at the camp lost her husband in June of that summer. This was the middle of June with two weeks to Camp Opening and trying to find another cook in the Okanagan seemed impossible and so I approached my mother to see if she would accept cooking for the summer, even though she had no experience in quantity cooking. She agreed and volunteered for the task. By the end of the summer, she had acquired the name “Cookie.” She was asked to return the following year, which she did and continued for a total of nine years. She also acted as an ex-officio “Camp Mother” for many of the campers. She declared these were the happiest days of her life to the point that she was approached Bishop Ted Scott for permission to have her ashes scattered by the cross at the camp.
The camp took on such a significance for the family that two of her granddaughters were married in the outside Chapel, and another granddaughter would have been, had it not been for the fire.
Maggie’s family has decided to launch a fundraiser to pay for a new Memorial Kitchen by which she is remembered. Contributions may be made to the Diocese of Kootenay, camp OAC Memorial Kitchen.
