Emma Turner's Obituary
Emma Spencer was born January 3, 1943, to Eula Dee Myers Spencer and Granville Ramsey Spencer, Sr. in Collins, Mississippi. The family attended Macedonia Baptist Church, where Emma was baptized at an early age. Growing up in Collins, Mississippi, the Spencer Family enjoyed many laughs and good times with a total of twelve siblings in the family.
Emma attended Collins High School and was an active student. She was a member of the Beta Club, Student Council and the Tri-Hi-Y Club, among others. She then attended University of Texas at Arlington. Having moved to the North Texas area, she met the love of her life, Paul Edward Turner. After he made a move to Los Angeles, California, he convinced her to join him and the two married and made a life there. To the union, one child was born – Paula Denise. Paul and Emma lived in Los Angeles for over three decades.
Deeply committed to her family, Emma enjoyed frequent trips to visit Texas and Mississippi until she and Paul ultimately moved to Dallas in the late 1990s. An amazing cook, the family in Texas and Mississippi loved those visits where the family would travel South in their motor home, bringing love, sweet treats and many fond memories to be made.
Emma worked at both Hamilton Avnet and ABC TV in Los Angeles, CA, as a payroll analyst in addition to handling the schedules of the news anchors. She deeply cherished her time with ABC TV. She enjoyed the frenetic pace of the newsroom, the ability to interact with a number of famous individuals and the continuous and intense demands given the speed of the news cycle.
Emma was deeply loved by her family including many nieces and nephews who hold fond memories of her. In fact, Emma could be found at any family gathering deeply interacting with the children. Her loving heart was cloaked in her ability to be sweetly direct and an ability to give you her exact, clear thoughts on any issue – with love, of course. Emma truly enjoyed bible study through Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and participated for many years. In addition to her BSF Group, true to her nature, Emma enjoyed volunteering with the children at BSF and they loved having her presence among them – her sweet spirit.
She departed peacefully on February 15, 2024; it is fitting that she made her earthly departure on the day after a widespread celebration of love as she had a big heart full of love for family, friends and all who knew her, especially children.
Emma was preceded in death by both of her parents and siblings Mattie Bell Feazell, Granville Ramsey Spencer, Jr., Dorothy Virginia Meredith and Essie Mae Lofton.
She leaves to mourn her loss her loving husband of almost 60 years, Paul Edward Turner, and their daughter, Paula Denise Turner Lane, her son-in-love John Dennis Lane, Jr., for whom she had deep affection and loved as if her own son and her bonus son, Rickey Wayne Wilson; her siblings: Charles Edward Spencer (Betty) of Oklahoma City, OK; Eula Mae Spencer of Atlanta, GA; Virginia Ann Foster (Milton) of Hattiesburg, MS; Willie Samuel Spencer (Louise), Johnnie Rose Spencer, David Lee Spencer and Danny Earl Spencer all of Collins, MS; and a host of special nieces, nephews and other relatives, family and friends.
To view a livestream of the services, please follow the link below:
https://youtube.com/live/hFAFSN74uAM?feature=share
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