Patricia Jane Turk

Heaven rejoiced on Sunday, April 22, 2018 as one of God’s true saints made the transition to God’s heavenly kingdom. Patricia Jane Turk passed away from complications with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 82. Pat had been a resident at The Heights of Gonzales for over four years. She was born in Iola, Kansas on April 12, 1936 to Theodore and Ruth Hopkins. Pat was adopted by Joseph and Jackie Martin at the age of three and moved with her new family to Luling shortly thereafter. She attended Luling schools until moving to Gonzales in 1949 when her mother accepted a nursing position with Dr. Walter A. Sievers' office staff.

Pat attended and graduated from Gonzales High School with the Class of 1954. She was an outstanding student academically, graduating fourth in her class. Pat was voted “Most Popular” during her senior year and was proud to have been a majorette in the Gonzales Apache Band.

It was in the 8th grade that she met Sam Turk and an ember of interest grew ever brightly as Pat and Sam continued dating through high school. After graduation she attended the University of Texas in Austin for two years. She departed UT to marry Sam, who was a junior at Texas A&M. They married on August 26, 1956 and Pat officially made the transition from Longhorn to Aggie.

Their marriage was blessed with three wonderful sons: Jim, David and Mike. Pat and Sam have always been “best friends” and this continued throughout their marriage of 62 years. They both have been blessed by God to have had each other as mates and partners throughout their lives.

Pat continued her studies, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Houston with academic honors. She taught in public schools in Houston and Gonzales as well as the Emmanuel Fellowship Christian School in Gonzales teaching her favorite subject, mathematics. She loved the challenges of math. Her students were blessed with her teaching techniques and patience as she strove to insure all students were given the opportunity to learn.

Pat was a multitalented lady as she excelled in many areas including cooking, all types of needle work, sewing, playing piano, decorating and all the things a mother of three boys has to do. She was loving, patient, smart, confident and considerate in ensuring her family’s well-being.

Most importantly she was a lady of great faith in her savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. One of her many favorite scriptures is Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”

Pat loved God and she was called for a great purpose of serving God in a mighty way. She was a steadfast prayer warrior with family, friends and prayer groups. She always exhibited great faith in times of trouble and turmoil. When the boys were going through difficulties in life, they always knew their mother would say, “Let’s pray about it.” She was such a great example to all she touched in her life, leading several to Jesus Christ as lord and savior, be it over the phone or on the back porch. During their marriage Sam always credited her prayers for him as being most instrumental to any success he achieved. A tradition among the military was that the wife always had one more rank than the husband. This made Pat a four-star general and jokingly she didn’t let Sam forget she outranked him.

Pat made a profession of faith at age 19 in accepting Jesus Christ as her lord and savior. She was member of the First Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school to both youth and adults for many years. Pat was a dedicated student of the Bible. She studied and highlighted every meaningful passage that fed her soul. She was anointed teacher of God’s word as she taught with great clarity. Pat was blessed with the ability to make God’s words come alive with application for daily living. She was greatly appreciated for her faithful dedication in presentations by her classes.

After Pat’s adoption and as years passed, she had memories of brothers and sisters. Little did she know that her family remembered her, too. They had been searching for some 24 years to find her and ultimately did so as a result of much prayer, research and work.

They found Pat on July 15, 1977. What a joyous reunion as Pat reunited with four brothers, three sisters and a large family unit. It was a great experience to observe the love, respect and the coming together as a family. Pat — as well as her entire family — have been blessed with this occurrence and she cherished these years as a highlight of her life.

Pat is survived by her husband of 62 years, Lt. General Sam C. Turk (Ret.) of Gonzales; sons, Jimmy William Turk and his girlfriend Cornelia Moseley of Gonzales, John David Turk and his wife Debra of Shiner, and Michael Andrew Turk and fiancé Vicki Garza; grandchildren, Susi Simpson (David), Josh Turk (Evelyn), Jennifer Galvan (Francisco), John Turk, and Samantha Turk; great-grandchildren, Dillon and Matt Simpson, Emma and Evan Estillore, Sophia Turk and Jessi James Turk. Pat is further survived by her Kansas family, brothers, Jerry and his wife Sue, Bob and his wife Dianne, sisters, Shirley and her husband Terry and Sharon and her husband Larry. Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Martin, Jackie and stepfather Dr. Walter A. Sievers, brothers Ted and Dick and sister, Donna.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday evening in Seydler-Hill Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 27 in the Gonzales First Baptist Church with Rev. Steve Faulkner and Dr. Chris Irving officiating. Interment will follow in Gonzales Memorial Park. Pallbearers are John Michael Fritz, Jr., Pat Davis, Phil Mamorella, Kevin Darilek, Dr. Bryan Glass and Command Sergeant Major Ray Irle, ret.

Memorials may be made to the Gonzales First Baptist Church, American Parkinson Disease Association or the charity one’s choice. Friends may leave their condolences to the family by visiting www.seydlerhillfuneralhome.com. Services are under the care and direction of Seydler-Hill Funeral Home.