Donna Lurena Turner
Donna Lurena Turner, 81, of South Charleston, WV, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2025, ten days before her 82nd birthday. She was born on October 16, 1943, in Charleston, WV, the daughter of the late John H. Reed, Jr. and Lottie L. Reed. She was a resident of South Charleston most of her life.
A 1961 graduate of South Charleston High School, Donna was also a 1965 graduate of Morris Harvey College (University of Charleston) with a degree in music education, and also completed several hours of post-graduate studies at Marshall University.
She taught music and was a band director at several Kanawha County Schools for many years until her retirement and enjoyed helping and positively influencing her students. She also taught privately at Gorby’s for many years.
Donna enjoyed being a member of the Charleston Metro Band and the Kanawha Valley Community Band, in which she sat First Chair clarinet. She was also a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority.
Donna was a member of the St. John United Methodist Church in South Charleston most of her life, where she served in many capacities, including singing in the choir, and also for a time as Choir Director. She was later a member of the St. Paul United Methodist Church in South Charleston.
Donna was a loving and caring mother, grandmother, sister and aunt who will be greatly missed by her family and all who knew her.
Donna was preceded in death by her husband, James Thomas Turner, and is survived by her son, David Turner; two grandchildren, Elizabeth Turner and James Turner; and brothers, John H. Reed, III, of Hurricane, WV and Ellis M. Reed of New Smyrna Beach, FL.; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
A service to Honor the Life of Donna will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 13, 2025, at Snodgrass Funeral Home, 4122 Mc Corkle Ave. SW, South Charleston, WV, with the Rev. Paul Mateer officiating. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Park, South Charleston. Visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. prior to the service.
Snodgrass Funeral Home, South Charleston, is handling the arrangements.
My Aunt Donna was always there for me and helped me with getting my first Siamese cat, Tina. She took me to a pet shop in St Albans to pick out the best Siamese cat and she also helped me enter Tina in various cat shows where she won several blue ribbons!! She was an avid cat breeder and I helped her out by cleaning cages etc. I will surely miss her, but her suffering has come to an end now. May she rest in peace!!