Gary Turner

May 11, 1955 -

Apr 5, 2026

Gary J. Turner passed away on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at his home in Soldotna, Alaska. He was born May 11, 1955, in Phoenixville, Pa. His parents, Jack S. Turner and Floris M. Turner, predeceased him. Gary had a strong work ethic, mowing grass for others when he was eight and working in a general store when he was 12, making $.75/hour. This ethic was true his entire life.

Gary attended the University of West Virginia and West Chester State University in Pennsylvania when he was selected for the National Student Exchange program at the University of Idaho for one semester. While there he built a log cabin by hand with a friend he had met. The cabin was 30 miles from the university and they needed 4-wheel drive to get there, and then hike 1/4 mile to reach the cabin site.

He returned to West Chester State University and stayed one more semester, but the call of the west drew him and his then-girlfriend Marlene - now wife - to Centennial, Wyo., where they lived in a very old log cabin with a wood stove for heat and no indoor plumbing.

The couple moved back to Phoenixville after five months and he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1979, the same year he married his wife, Marlene M. Schantag. He served as a public affairs non-commissioned officer for four years at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Wash. While there he finished his bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Regents University. He was accepted to Officer Training School and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant as a public affairs officer. While at Fairchild they had their son, Traye.

They were then stationed at NORAD and U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo., for four years and then they were at Florennes Air Base, Belgium, for a one-year tour. They returned to Colorado, where Gary received, from Denver University, his master's degree in mass communication and pursued his Ph.D. coursework in human communication. He also took Ph.D. classes at the University of Oklahoma.

Gary taught English and literature at the U.S. Air Force Academy and returned to the public affairs field at the academy. The Turner family then transferred to Eielson AFB, Alaska, until Gary retired in 1994. He was the continuing education coordinator, student advisor and communication instructor at the University of Alaska Southeast-Ketchikan Campus. He then became a NASA public affairs program manager at Marshal Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. After four years with NASA, he was hired as a senior vice president for Weber Shandwick Worldwide, a public relations company with an office in Bellevue, Wash.

In June 2002, he was hired as the director/CEO of Kenai Peninsula College, a campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage. He retired, in July 2021, as the longest-serving director in KPC's history. He co-founded the Kenai River Guide Academy - a required course for all Kenai River guides - and founded the Kenai Fishing Academy where people learned how to fish Alaska waters.

Upon retirement he was named "Emeritus Director" by the university and awarded the UAA Meritorious Service Award.

During his military career he was awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, Air Force Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and numerous other ribbons and awards. He was particularly proud of being selected as one of "Twelve Outstanding Airmen of the Air Force" in 1982. He was chosen from 500,000 enlisted personnel for this honor.

Gary served on the Alaska Select Committee for Legislative Ethics from 2006-17, serving as chair twice and vice chair twice, and was named the 2012 Soldotna Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year. Gary was selected as the 2013 Campaign Chair for the Kenai Peninsula United Way. He was a member of the American Legion, VFW and the Air Force Public Affairs Association. Gary also served on the Kenai Watershed Forum board of directors.

He enjoyed golf, fishing and hunting, and spending time with his son and grandsons and watching them play hockey and football. Gary played hockey into his 30s and threw the javelin in high school, earning two letters and being named the outstanding track and field athlete in 1973.

Gary is survived by his wife, Marlene; son, Traye and fiancee Becca Satathite; two grandsons, Brycen and Trent, all in Alaska; sisters, Gail Turner and Lisa Copeland, who live in the Lower 48; and his dog, Kenai, a Goldendoodle. He loved his dogs and they loved him - some say he was a dog whisperer.

A celebration of life will be held at Kenai Peninsula College on May 31, 2026, at 1 p.m.