Dr. Joseph Murray Turner, 93, of Tifton, GA passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 16, 2025 surrounded by his family. Joe, or Papa Joe, as he was affectionately known to his grandchildren, was born in Miami, FL on August 4, 1932, to the late Olynthus Cawley (O.C.) Turner and Mary John Murray Turner. He graduated from Ashburn High School in 1949.
Joe attended Emory University where he earned a bachelor’s degree. Following his graduation, he chose to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Army, where his marksmanship—sharpened by years of hunting in South Georgia—was quickly recognized during basic training leading to his assignment to the rifle corps. Joe was later selected to serve in the Counterintelligence Corps and was stationed in Chicago, Illinois. Upon his discharge from the Army, his commanding officer wrote a letter of recommendation to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta—a gesture Joe believed played a pivotal role in his acceptance to medical school.
Joe earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1960. While in medical school, he met Bette Womack, the love of his life. They married in 1957 and built a lifelong, loving partnership, raising five children together. In 1968, they faced the heartbreaking loss of their son, Murray–a grief no parent should endure. The truest testament to their love was how they carried each other through that sorrow and continued to build a life grounded in faith, family, and resilience. Joe and Bette were married nearly 65 years when she passed away in December 2021 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Throughout her illness, Joe cared for her with unwavering patience, love, and devotion.
Following his internship and residency at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Joe completed a cardiology fellowship at Emory University under the mentorship of Dr. Willis Hurst, a nationally renowned cardiologist and personal physician to President Lyndon Johnson. Rather than remain in Atlanta to practice alongside Dr. Hurst, Joe returned to his native South Georgia to provide medical care to an underserved community. When he arrived in Tifton in 1964, he was one of just 12 practicing physicians, a number that has since grown to over 135 at Tift Regional Medical Center, a testament in part to his legacy. Dr. Turner was the founder of Tifton Medical Clinic, which later became Affinity Health Group and is now known as Southwell. Through the leadership of Dr. Turner and Tifton Medical Clinic, the people of South Georgia gained access to a level of healthcare rarely found in rural communities. He played a key role in establishing Tift General’s first Intensive Care Unit and introducing advanced cardiac technologies, including the hospital’s first cardiac monitor, defibrillator, DC cardioverter, stress testing, intracardiac pressure monitoring, and vascular ultrasound. He was the first cardiologist to utilize the Swan Ganz catheter in the state of Georgia. In addition to advancing medical care, Dr. Turner helped shape the local medical community by recruiting physicians who would serve South Georgia for decades to come.
What patients remembered most about Dr. Turner was his bedside manner. He was patient, empathetic, and an active listener who paid attention to detail. He treated everyone with deep respect, helping them navigate some of life’s most difficult and complex health (and sometimes personal) challenges. As a cardiologist serving an aging population in South Georgia, he was committed to helping patients maintain their independence and quality of life—offering not just medical care, but genuine compassion. A caregiver to his core, Dr. Turner continued to counsel and support patients long after his formal retirement, often taking their calls at home and offering the same thoughtful guidance that had defined his career.
Dr. Turner helped advance healthcare not just in Tifton, but throughout South Georgia. He served on the medical staff at Tift General Hospital, Tifton Nursing Home, and Georgia Care Nursing Home, and was a consulting physician for hospitals in Berrien, Turner, Irwin, Coffee, and Cook counties. Dr. Turner also served as a consultant and adjunct professor for the University of Alabama, Emory University and its medical school, and Mercer School of Medicine, helping shape the next generation of physicians. His commitment to service reached beyond the region as well; in 1984, he served as a medical missionary in Liberia, Africa, reflecting his dedication to healthcare on a global scale.
Dr. Turner was an active member of numerous medical boards and professional associations, most notably serving as President of the Georgia Heart Association in 1978 and on the National Board of Directors of the American Heart Association in 1980. At the request of then-Governor Jimmy Carter, Dr. Turner served as Chairman of the Medicaid committee of the Georgia Department of Human Resources from 1973-1976. He received numerous awards for his service to South Georgia. Of these, the one he was most proud of was his election to Mastership in the American College of Physicians in 2013. This rare honor recognizes physicians with extraordinary career accomplishments. At the time he received the award, only 20 physicians in Georgia had been so recognized–and just five of them resided outside the state’s two major academic centers in Atlanta and Augusta.
In addition to his work as a physician, Dr. Turner was deeply involved in his community and gave generously of his time and talents to a wide range of organizations, including the Tift County Library Foundation, the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Board, Rotary Club, the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation, South Georgia Banking Company, and the Georgia Forestry Association. Over the years, his community recognized his contributions through numerous honors, including membership in ABAC’s President’s Club (1982–2025), being named Outstanding Man of Tifton (1967), induction into the Tift County Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame (2009), and receiving the John Prince Distinguished Service Award at Tift Regional Hospital (2006) and the Chamber of Commerce’s Stafford Award (2015). Most recently, in July 2025, Dr. Turner was honored with the George A. Wright Memorial Award, which recognizes senior citizens of Tift County who have made outstanding contributions to the community.
When Dr. Turner and Bette moved to Tifton in 1964, they became active members of First Baptist Church. A devoted Christian, Joe shared his faith in his Lord and Savior with his children and grandchildren, leading by quiet example—beginning each day at the kitchen table with a devotional reading. For many years, he and Bette taught adult Sunday School classes, ministering to others as a couple. Joe remained deeply involved in the life of the church, serving in numerous leadership roles, including Chairman of the Board of Deacons, Finance Committee, Personnel Committee, Building and Renovations Committee, Projects and Acquisitions Committee, and Co-chair of the Chapel Renovation Committee.
Of all his accomplishments, Joe was most proud of being father to his five children and grandfather to his eight grandchildren and two great grandsons. Despite the demands of his career and commitment to community service, Joe always made time for his family—and for a good vacation. He and Bette were firm believers in the value of getting away, making memories, and seeing the world together.
As a young boy, Joe once told his father—on a cherished family recording—that he wanted to be a farmer and a pilot. While he never took to the skies, he developed a lifelong love of the outdoors. He found great joy in walking (and later riding) through his farms, carefully checking on the growth of the pine trees. An avid outdoorsman, Joe enjoyed deer hunting in his earlier years, later favoring quail hunting. He also loved sailing and boating, spending countless hours with his family at their home on Lake Blackshear and aboard their sailboat, Contentment. Joe and Bette were graceful snow skiers, even winning the occasional slalom competition during ski trips out West. In their later years, they treasured time spent with family and friends in Highlands, North Carolina, where long conversations on the back porch became cherished memories. Joe loved to fish all his life, and it was in Highlands that he honed his skills as a fly fisherman. Though he didn’t catch many trout, he was perfectly content standing in a stream, tying flies to his line, and soaking in the peace of the outdoors he so loved.
Joe was pre-deceased by his parents, his wife, Bette, and his son, Joseph Murray Turner, Jr. He is survived by his children, Mike Turner of Tifton, Gay Turner Koran (David) of Tifton, Tom Turner (Julie) of Brentwood, TN, Laura Turner Beyer (John) of Charlotte, NC; his grandchildren, Will Koran (Mary Virginia), Katherine Koran Billings (Billy), Mary John Beyer, Thomas Beyer, William Turner, Hudson Turner, Juliana Turner, and Eliza Jane Turner; and his great-grandsons, Beau Billings and William Koran; his brother-in-law, Paul Womack (Ruth) and their daughter, Laura Gallagher, and grand-niece, Conor Gallagher.
The family extends their deep gratitude and appreciation to the many healthcare workers who cared for Dr. Turner during his brief stay at Tift Regional Medical Center, with special thanks to Dr. Kaine Brown and Dr. William Hancock for their exceptional compassion and support.
Dr. Turner’s funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Tifton’s First Methodist Church. The family will receive friends on Friday, August 22, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Memorial donations may be made to the Murray Turner Memorial Scholarship at Abraham Baldwin College, ABAC Foundation, ABAC 13, 2802 Moore Highway, Tifton, GA 31793. This is a fund that Bette and Joe created in memory of their son, Murray, to award deserving students financial support to pursue their educational goals.