Betty Turner, Corpus Christi's first female mayor, dies at 92
Betty Noble Turner, Corpus Christi's first female mayor, died Friday, Jan. 26.
She was 92.
Turner, granddaughter of the founder of Barnes & Noble, was born in May 1931 in Yonkers, New York.
She earned her Bachelor's degree from Vassar College and got her master's from Texas A&I. She also attended University of Texas in Austin, where she met her husband Jack Rice Turner.
Turner held a real estate license for more than 40 years and served as a broker/owner of her own company in Corpus Christi and Port Aransas.
She served on more than 40 Corpus Christi public service agencies and nonprofits including LULAC, Arts Council, Art Museum Board of Directors, YMCA Board, USO Board and United Way Board.
In 1979, Turner ran for a seat on the council and won. She served on the council through 1985, then in February 1987 announced her intention to run for mayor.
The race was crowded after popular Mayor Luther Jones announced his decision not to run for re-election. She faced off against four opponents — Mayor Pro Tem Jack Best, district councilman Joe McComb, Corpus Christi attorney Tony Bonilla and six-time mayoral candidate Vicente Carranza.
On April 4, the results were in: Turner and Bonilla were headed for a runoff.
The two engaged in a heated campaign battle, which saw visits from network television and major newspapers around the country focused on the role of ethnicity in the election.
Turner won with 57.2% of the vote. Turner secured a second term in 1989 but declined to run again when her term ended in 1991.
Her two sons, Jay and Randall, both said they will miss their mother but know she is at peace.
"She was very nurturing," Jay Turner said. "She was a working mom most of our lives. There's not many women who could have it all, but she was one of the rare ones."
Randall Turner said raising him and his brother was not an easy ordeal, as he was a rule breaker, but their mother was "extraordinary."
"She was tough on me when she needed to be," Randall Turner said. "I think because of her toughness and energy, I was able to become a much better person. She was still parenting me up to about six years ago. She always asked what I was doing with work and wondering how I could be better. She was very loving."
The brothers said their mother helped their late father, Jack Rice Turner, be a better man. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 88.
"They were a team," Jay Turner said. "He was an architect and she always had the best advice and input to give him. It was hard for her to leave Corpus Christi when he died. She gave her time, talent and treasure to the people there."
Jay Turner said he and Randall had a sister who was stillborn. He said the family didn't talk about it much back then, but he learned more about it from his father a few years back.
"They named our sister Nancy," Jay Turner said. "That's the name of my wife. They may have lost a daughter, but they got one years later and loved her like their own. It was God-ordained."
A graveside service and celebration of life of Betty Turner will be held at 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, at Seaside Memorial Park Saturday, Feb. 10. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the charity of your choice or the Coastal Bend Food Bank, West Dallas Community School or The Jesus Film Project.
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi's first female mayor, Betty Turner, passes at 92
