Payette County ID Archives Obituaries.....Turner, Clara Rettie 1919
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Payette Enterprise  3-20-1919
Payette Enterprise 
Payette, Idaho
Thursday, March 20, 1919

MRS. J.E. TURNER

Rettie Clara (Mrs. J. E.) Turner -- Mother of Edward, Dorothy and John Turner

The entire community has been keeping love watch and hoping against hope these 
many weeks during which Mrs. Turner fought the losing fight against disease. 
So it is merely marking a date to say her spirit left the body in the early 
morning of Thursday, March 13, 1919. Services in her honor were held in the 
Presbyterian church Saturday afternoon. Not many of us can expect to have at 
our departure so great a number of people helpless to tell their mingled 
sorrow and joy, as there were in this case: because not many are living so 
loftily, so deeply, and so comprehensively. A few of her intimate friends 
wrote down one thought each to be woven into the address at the services. 
These are words they used: "Inspirer to all that is best, leader, counsellor, 
comforter, one of God's noble women, my friend, queen of an ideal home, 
saintly in motherhood."

To evoke such praise means an outpouring of vital energy, enough most of us 
think, for any woman. But it is rare to find another who maintained interest 
in so many good things ouside the community and home. Hers was an 
international mind in the best sense of the word. She demanded "the open door" 
into all lands, nor for their mines, their forests, their wealth of soil, 
things to be exploited for profit to the exploiter. She was as well informed 
about these as any well read woman, but they did not engage her interest. What 
she saw and felt concerning the far off lands was people -- swarming millions 
of people, so destitute of the things we enjoy so lavishly -- yea so destitute 
of the word of life which we so often neglect because of its very familiarity. 
She accepted a "manditory" from God for every sin laden people under the sun. 
On the walls of "That more stately mansion which her soul builded for itself," 
were lined faces, black, brown, and yellow faces, sad, weary, wretched faces, 
having no hope and "without God in the world." She bore them up to the throne 
of grace in intercessory prayer -- that most exhausting of all soul exercises. 
For her prayers were not of the "God-help-them-but-don't-trouble-me sort. As 
treasurer she set a standard of stewardship for the Missionary People of the 
Presbyterian church, by which they will be measured so long as any of the 
present generation are left to do any measuring. And not only did she make her 
life felt in the local work. The Presbyterian Missionary committee, of which, 
she was vice-president (elected president, but unable to accept on account of 
war work at the time) declare their personal esteem, and they say "in all 
planning for our missionary work we depended on her judgment and found it 
invariable reliable. Her death is an overwhelming loss in our work."

She had just pride in her ancestry, of which much might be said. But there was 
one event in which she felt boundless pride. It was when her Preacher 
Grandfather took and maintained a stand against fellowship with church members 
who held slaves. It was on the border line between North and South. His 
congregation forsook him for the most part. The missionary society that sent 
him out repudiated their promise for support, and the demonination behind it 
endorsed the repudiation. But he lived to see the whole denomination making it 
their highest boast, that they led in helping the black man. In the bad days 
of France Voltaire was asked, "why can not a Frenchman found a religion as 
well as the half-mythical Syrian of eighteen certuries ago?" The reply 
was "You can. All that is necessary is to get yourself crucified for a faith 
which, later, every body will recognize as the truth." The Congregational 
denomination did not crucify Grandfather Seward in 1843, but they turned him 
out to starve for all they cared. And, Lo, the American Missionary 
Association, which arose to back men of his vision, has become their society 
which more nearly than any other fulfills the scripture, "the poor have the 
Gospel preached to them." It was Mrs. Turner's good fortune to have such an 
ancestry. But is is her own glory that she fixed upon this heroic Americanism 
as the most valued memory.

But her interest in the distressed folks of three continents could not confuse 
her as to the essential things. Reference has been made to her place in her 
home. But to pass it by with a mere reference would be a cruel falsehood. She 
never permitted anything to take precedence over her business -- for to her it 
was the business -- of Motherhood. Children at the mother's knee eagerly 
hearing about God's great men and women, was no fairy tale with her. It was a 
Sacrament. Yes, a Sacrament, which would have saved the world from its welter 
of woe, had it been kept as she kept it. For mentioning this there is a reason 
beyond the matter of speaking her praise more fully. The home a sanctuary, 
where the members meet God and recognize him as rightful Lord is the only 
thing that can save the earth from being a shambles. There is the making of 
character that can be counted on for the maintenance of the righteousness 
whereon peace can stand permanently. The greatest minds of the churches are 
wrestling with the question"how to bring the Salvation that is in Christ," 
into the troubled affairs of man. Many things suggest themselves as probably 
beneficial. But this one thing is recognized as essential. We must have homes 
where parents consistently set God in the Highest place of worth to their 
children, or we will have homes that in effect say, "the law of God is a 
secondary thing, look somewhere else for the real good."

It was because she had not neglected this that last September she could kiss 
her boy good-bye to go and put on the uniform of the nation and say to him "I 
have no advice to give you now. You know what I expect of you. Make good in 
that."

Mrs. Height, mother of Mrs. Turner was present with her several weeks before 
the end came. Two of her girl-hood friends Mrs. Gooding and Mrs. Whitenock 
have their homes in Shoshone and came to be at the funeral services. Mr. and 
Mrs. Rough also came down from Baker.

It would be difficult to overstate the evidences of sympathy, and love shown 
at the church as well as at the home. When nothing else can utter our 
feelings, we call to our help the most beautiful things God has put at our 
disposal, and send flowers to speak for us. There was nothing possible more 
than was done in that way. Everybody was in readiness, eager to be of help. 
And while no one's assistance was more valued than others, there is warrant 
for speaking especially of the contribution made to the service by the Boys 
Glee club, led by Mr. Neilson. They have not done much in a public way as yet, 
but their singing was a delight to all who heard it on that occasion.

This life sketch being practically a resume of her Pastor's address may as 
well conclude with the words that were made the finale of that. "Oh, may I 
join the choir invisible,Of those immortal dead who live again, In minds made 
better by their presence; live In pulses stirred to generosity --In deeds of 
daring rectitude, This is life to come, Which Martyred men have made more 
glorious, for us to strive to follow, May I reach That purest heaven; be to 
other souls,The cup of strength in some great agony; Enkindle generous ardor, 
feed pure love; Beget the smiles that have no cruelty--Be the sweet presence 
of a good diffused,Adn in diffusion every more intense so shall I join the 
Choir invisible, Whose music is the gladness of the world." 

Additional Comments:
Note:  Burial at Riverside Cemetery. ch

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