John Lee Turchi

February 8, 1932, Saturday, September 16, 2023

Dr. John Lee Turchi, age 91, died on September 16, 2023, in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The only child of Cecil and Irene Longo Turchi, he was born February 8, 1932, in Clinton, Ind. He was a graduate of Clinton High School in 1949 and of Purdue University School of Pharmacy in 1954. That same summer he married his high school classmate, Rosemary Munson, who had just completed her AB in French at Indiana State University.

They began married life in Martinsville, Ind., where Mrs. Turchi taught at the high school, and he commuted to Bloomington to attend the Indiana University School of Dentistry. The following year they moved to Brownsburg, Ind., where he continued his studies on the Indianapolis campus, and she taught language arts at Clermont Elementary School.

Following Dr. Turchi’s completion of his DDS degree, the couple moved to Crawfordsville, Ind., where he began his practice in 1958. Dr. Turchi was a member of the Ben Hur Dental Society, Indiana Dental Association, and the American Dental Association; a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry; president of the Indiana University School of Dentistry Alumni Association; a member of Lions Club, Jaycees, Ouiatenon, and University Club, and president and board member of the Crawfordsville Public Library.

Dr. Turchi retired in 1995, and he and Mrs. Turchi moved to Mt. Pleasant in 1997 to be near their granddaughters. While living in Mt. Pleasant, they were active volunteers with Friends of the Library, Low Country Food Bank, and RSVP, which coordinates retirees’ volunteer service to the community.

Surviving are his son, Ken (Dax Cabell) and daughter, Judith Sierko (Steven), all of Mt. Pleasant; two granddaughters, Alexandra of Phenix City, Ala., and Emily of Mt. Pleasant; a nephew, Mark Collins (Martha), of Colorado Springs, Colo.; two nieces, Martha Cook (Philip), of Sebring, Fla., and Marilyn Bennett (David), of Greenwood, Ind.; and several grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Also surviving are special cousins Charles Huppert and Angie Lawry (Tracy) of Silver Spring, Md., and Barbara Dorfmeyer (Leroy), Villa Grove, Ill.

Dr. Turchi was preceded in death by his wife, who died in January 2022 after 67 years of marriage; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dr. Milton E. and Marian Collins; his cousin, Lynda Ferro Huppert; his parents, and several aunts and uncles.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Friends of the Library, the Low Country Food Bank, or the donor’s preferred charity.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.