A short memorial service for Elmer Dow Turner, 90, of Godley, Texas, will be held at Sugar Creek Cemetery located at East 1995 Road in Soper, Oklahoma, on October 3, 2026, at 11:30 AM. Please bring a lawn chair if you would like to sit during the service. At approximately 12:30 PM, family and friends will gather at the Deer Stand Café in Antlers until 2:00 PM. A fish dinner will be available, with each person responsible for the cost of their meal.

Elmer Dow was born and raised in the Boswell, Oklahoma, area. This is where he decided he wanted to grow up and become a horse. But alas, he didn’t achieve that goal. He did do lots of other things in his life, though.

When he was a young lad to early teen, he and his little sister sang and played music on the radio. They were offered a traveling gig with the band Louisiana Hayride, but their parents felt they were too young, so he stayed home and attended school at Buckhorn, and graduated from Soper HS in ‘57. He was offered a basketball scholarship to Paris Jr. College, but he only attended and played for a short time, less than a year; he was too homesick and moved back home.

He married Helen (Harbuck) Haberman. They had 4 children, all of whom survive him. After their divorce, he married Brenda Carol Watson. They were married 54 years.

Elmer Dow loved Jesus more than anything else in the world. His main goal was to make sure everyone knew about Jesus. He wore a cap that said, “Jesus is my boss.” He performed many jobs, such as ranch hand, truck driver, locksmith, dairy hand, and farming, that enabled him to pay the bills, but his most loved job was teaching Sunday school and leading people to the Lord.

He loved to whittle and do woodwork. He has several unfinished projects on his desk. He loved to make all sorts of things that reminded him of the old days: hand-held plows with oxen, chuck wagons, stagecoaches, buggies, and horses. He once even made a chariot with horses. He gave away his projects to most anyone—waitresses, therapists, and anyone who showed an interest. He loved to garden, “piddle,” and stay active but he grew tired. He went on hospice August 25, 2026.

Elmer is preceded in death by his wife, Brenda Carol Turner; first wife, Helen Haberman; parents, William Henry Turner and Minnie (Johnson) Turner; daughter-in-law, Becky Turner; daughter-in-law, Sandy Turner; three brothers, three sisters and one sister-in-law.

He is survived by Elmer Dow Turner II of Woodland Park, Colorado; Jenifer Dowlene Stembridge (Nathan) of Godley, Texas; David Lynn Turner of Poteau, Oklahoma; and Elizabeth Lockwood (Ronnie Caffey) of Burleson, Texas; goddaughters, Cynthia Maloney & family, and Hailey Bradley; 12 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchild; a slew of nieces and nephews; and other special people that he taught about Jesus and “helped raise.”