Bruce Thomas Turner

Our beloved father, husband, and friend, Bruce Thomas Turner, shed his earthly form on Sunday, November 24, 2024. He was the second son of his loving parents, Martha Westbrook Turner and Carl Turner, being born on February 18, 1941 in Kinston, NC. Many have heard the stories and anecdotes of his childhood in Jones County, scraping by from year-to-year as a family of sharecroppers. It was during this formative time that Bruce realized education was the way out of this hardscrabble life.

Bruce graduated from Trenton High School in 1959. Encouraged by his parents to get a “good education”, as they worded it, he then worked his way through Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, NC. Although they had very little, Carl and Martha spurred him on by sending what they could to help, even if it was 35 cents from selling eggs. Bruce graduated with an English degree in 1963, the same year he married his wife of 61 years, Ellen, which made for a stellar year. 

They moved to Raleigh and Bruce found work as a teacher at Central Prison. While there, he petitioned the state legislature for funding to create an inmate library. Funding was granted and he traveled to a Chapel Hill bookstore with two maximum security inmates to choose the books for the library. In 1968, there was a prison riot which left many buildings burned and people injured. However, the library and the school were both untouched, and Bruce was unscathed as well. Between the riot and the Raleigh traffic, he and Ellen decided to make a change and embrace a quieter way of life in Montgomery County. Bruce was hired as the Director of Continuing Education, one of the first employees, at the newly-forming Montgomery Technical Institute in Troy, NC. Continuing Education would become his life’s work.

Bruce was instrumental in establishing and growing MTI, as it was known at the time. While working full time, he earned his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Appalachian State University. His oldest daughter, Rebecca, vividly recalls traveling with him to Raleigh in the early 1970s as he attended satellite classes in pursuit of the “good education” his parents tasked him with earning.

As MTI grew into Montgomery Technical College and then Montgomery Community College, so did the Continuing Education department under Bruce’s vision, perseverance, and creativity. He designed a variety of programs, many of which are still popular today: Taxidermy, metal engraving, knife making, beekeeping, pottery, and gunsmithing, which is one of the top programs in the nation. He also launched classes at the request of the community, and which were taught in community buildings, churches, fire departments, and anywhere else he could find a space to bring the classes to the people. Many county residents learned chair caning, painting, stained glass, gold panning, basket weaving, wood carving, and cake decorating in locations throughout Montgomery County. He organized those instructors and students into displaying their creative wares at craft shows hosted by MCC in the 1980s. Bruce’s youngest daughter, Colleen, loved circulating and talking to the craftspeople at these events. Bruce was also driven to provide educational opportunities to residents so they could provide a better life for themselves and their families. He worked closely with businesses to help educate and advance their workforce, all for the betterment of the community. 

Bruce served as interim president on two different occasions, and retired in 2002. However, this would not be for long. He approached MCC’s Board of Directors about creating a scholarship foundation to assist students in reaching their educational goals. He raised one million dollars among Montgomery County businesses and individuals to act as the principal amount for the foundation. That foundation continues to provide scholarships for students today.

Anyone that knows Bruce knows that he was a force of nature and almost bulletproof. He had a sharp mind, witty humor, and a kind heart. Not only was he successful in obtaining the “good education” that Martha and Carl instilled in him to get, but he also passed that love of education on. Bruce is survived by his wife Ellen, daughters Rebecca Shepherd (Jay) and Colleen Deaton (David), grandchildren Forrest Decker (Courtney, Lillian Poole (Timothy), and Elizabeth Shepherd; three great-grandchildren, a multitude of friends, and the thousands of students he helped to educate. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Bruce’s name be made to the Heritage Crafts Program in the Continuing Education Department at Montgomery Community College, 1011 Page Street, Troy, North Carolina 27371.

 A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at Southside Cemetery in Troy at 2:00 pm with Rev. Glenn Hancock officiating.

Online condolences may be left at www.phillipsfh.com.

The Turner family is being served by Phillips Funeral Home in Star.