VALDOSTA – Loyce W. Turner often told the story that he discovered he wanted to be a veterinarian as a child and learned how to be a politician in the process.

“I decided to be a veterinarian at 4 years old,” Turner said in a 2013 interview, adding, “I learned horse and mule trading with my daddy, which would also be good practice for the state Senate.”

In addition to being a state senator, a veterinarian and a veteran, Turner was a state official, a banker and a philanthropist who gave the initial donation to create the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts named for his first wife.

He was also a lifelong advocate of South Georgia.

Turner passed away Friday, April 16.

He spent nearly 40 years in public service. 

He served on the state Board of Natural Resources for 13 years, well into his 80s. Prior to being appointed to the Natural Resources board, Turner spent nearly 25 years representing South Georgia as a state senator.

Shortly after his election as state senator in 1974, Turner and area state representatives formed the South Georgia legislative delegation, which wielded influence not just for South Georgia but throughout the state.

“Legislation is the art of compromise, and if you can’t do that, you can’t get anything done,” Turner said.

Accomplishment may be the art of balancing dedication and sacrifice.

He served in the Korean War, with the Army Veterinary Corps, entering as a lieutenant in 1951 and being discharged as a captain in 1953.

As a veterinarian, Turner visited area farms and helped with livestock from before the sun rose til past sunset most days. 

He was instrumental in founding First State Bank & Trust in Valdosta. He became a chamber president as well as a leader in many other civic organizations.

He and wife Annette raised three children and had several grandchildren. Though his work and political life kept him busy, Annette joined Loyce on numerous trips to Atlanta. She won over many legislators with her charm and many people with her compassion. She loved the arts and her family. When she became ill, Loyce Turner refused to run for another state Senate term in 1998.

Following Annette’s passing in 2000, Turner saw a way to honor his late wife while promoting the arts she loved. First State Bank & Trust was moving from its downtown location, where it had hosted the annual Spring Into Arts exhibit for many years, to Inner Perimeter Road. 

Turner used his influence with the bank coupled with a Turner family donation of a half-million dollars to turn the one-time downtown bank into the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, which opened in 2003.

Turner met a new love, Ingrid Kiernan, whom he married in 2006, and they traveled the world, embarking on numerous adventures. 

As a public servant, Turner served under six governors from George D. Busbee through Nathan Deal.

Born Dec. 2, 1927, to father George Warren Turner and mother Willie Young Turner in Turner County, young Loyce knew his career goal at an early age.

He earned a veterinary degree in 1948 from Auburn University; Turner also graduated from the University of Georgia’s Banking School.

Through the military and private practice, Turner loved working as a veterinarian, working with animals and area farmers. He made sacrifices to provide for his family.

“I would often be up and gone before the kids got up in the morning,” he said in a past interview, “and I got home when the kids were already in bed.”

Life became busier. He became involved with the development of First State Bank and Trust, serving as president and board director and director of Synovus Financial Corp. He became a devoted member and often led groups such as the chamber, Rotary Club, Kiwanis and the Farm Bureau. Then everything changed.

“In 1974, Lowndes County had not held the Senate seat in quite a while and the people wanted the seat back in Valdosta,” according to a Turner biography. “Loyce Turner, at that time, was president of the Chamber of Commerce, and having dealt with farmers, the people felt he was the perfect candidate to get the seat back into Lowndes County.”

As a Democratic state senator when Democrats were the majority in the Georgia statehouse, Turner served as the Senate Majority Whip, chaired the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, and was a member of the Appropriations and Higher Education committees.

He served on several other committees, while building the South Georgia legislative delegation with state Reps. James Beck, Robert Patten and Henry Reaves. While some regions experienced animosity between its senator and representatives, Turner and the South Georgia representatives formed a partnership between the Senate and House. 

They met weekly for lunch to discuss issues that needed to be addressed back home. From these meetings, they worked on creating the James M. Beck Overpass and won university status for Valdosta State.

He occasionally faced opposition for his state Senate seat, but he didn’t leave the seat until he decided to retire. The appointment to the Natural Resources board was a natural fit for Turner, who loved the outdoors, fishing and hunting. The Department of Natural Resources oversees Georgia’s parks, historic sites, coastal areas, hunting and fishing regulations, conservation, etc.

His father, George Warren Turner, lived to be an active 92 years old, having just mowed the grass the day before he passed away. Loyce Turner lived a year past his father, to the age of 93.

The family will have a private burial service.