The Lord took our dear Darlene to heaven on Friday, April 19, 2024. She passed peacefully at home in God's love surrounded by her loving husband and children.

Darlene Kay Turner was born in Arcadia, Florida on September 6, 1946 to Ike Reuben Turner and Nellie Elizabeth Turner, n'ee Ford. Ike and Nell were married the day before Ike shipped out to Europe to fight in WWII. After his return, they were delighted to welcome Darlene, who would be their only child.

The Turners moved from the small town of Immokalee, Florida to Tucson, Arizona when Darlene was fourteen. Darlene attended Amphi High School, graduating in 1964. It was there that she met her lifelong friend Pam Thurein, n'ee Marinus. Darlene and Pam remained close friends throughout the rest of her life.

Darlene married when she was nineteen. The couple soon welcomed Quinn in 1967 and Shannon in 1971. She had always wanted to be a mother, and given her kind, caring and nurturing ways, she was perfectly suited to raising children.

She had always been interested in baking, so she took a $10 cake decorating course which she scaled up to a career. Soon her wedding cakes were in demand in Tucson. We often found every flat surface in her house stacked with trays of cakes and handmade decorations.

In 1976, the family moved to Houston. She decided to pass on her skills by teaching cake decorating to other aspiring bakers. She found teaching fulfilling, but soon found a new career in the energy industry.

In 1978, she became a pioneering woman in the field of pipeline inspection where she became one of the first women to work in the oil patch at inspection sites. She worked at Vetco Pipeline Services and later at Tuboscope and at Rosen.

She soon won the respect of her coworkers, colleagues, and customers as a woman working in the oil patch, a difficult challenge in 1976. Darlene loved working with customers and her Southern charm made her an asset in client relations. During her thirty years in the oil and gas industry, she made many, many friends and it was a joy to visit with them during this last chapter of her life.

She met her future husband Bill Buoy while working at Vetco. In 1980, she married Bill, the love of her life in a private ceremony. Bill, a devoted and loving husband, proved to be the truly great father that Quinn and Shannon had not had.

Darlene and Bill have spent decades exploring and traveling this great country with the Southwest and Pacific Northwest being their favorite and repeated destinations. Darlene's love of animals and wildlife led the way. She counts her visits to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons as well as four cruises to Alaska as her favorite experiences.

Her grandchildren, Graham (2007) and Eloise (2012) became the joy of her life. She retired as quickly as she could to spend time with them. Her experiences with Graham and Eloise were as innumerable as they were joyful.

Her hobbies included cooking, baking and crafting and she excelled in all of those pursuits. Darlene also possessed a deep love of music, which she passed on to her children.

In 2003, Darlene found her spiritual home at The Met. She joined a weekly bible class and soon had a new circle of friends that would elevate her faith to new levels. Edith, Bobbie, Jan, Mary Eileen, and all the girls would be of enormous comfort and support during her illness.

She also discovered her talent for scrapbooking and card making in a group at The Met. Working with Shannon and Eloise on these crafts provided hours of joy for her. She made certain that there was a card for every occasion as well as giant scrapbooks of her grandchildren to be cherished for years to come.

In December, Darlene was overjoyed to attend the wedding of Shannon and Creighton Franklin which was a truly joyous occasion for the family.

Darlene and her family would also like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Ronjay Rakkhitt and his team for their superb care. She was afforded the most advanced and effective treatments that science had to offer. Their efforts extended her life dramatically resulting in six years of impactful and meaningful time for her with family and friends. Likewise, Chris Hoggatt's friendship and decades of care and advice as Darlene's nurse with her primary care physicians was invaluable and so greatly appreciated.

A memorial service will be held for Darlene at The Met, 12903 Jones Road, Houston, Texas at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 25th.
A private graveside service for family members will be held that afternoon at the Houston National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to support cancer research:
-American Cancer Society - American Cancer Society Link
-Cancer Research Institute- Cancer Research Institute Link
-Susan G Komen - Susan G. Komen Link
-Lung Cancer Research - Lung Cancer Research Link
or the cancer foundation of your choice.