William C. Turnbull

Turnbull William C. William Turnbull, 86, passed away Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at his home in Toledo. Born to George R. and Vanessa Woomer Turnbull in Hamilton, Ohio on January 1, 1922, he was a successful businessman, a devoted husband, a great father to his four sons and a lover of travel and the outdoors. After his childhood in Hamilton, Bill Turnbull served in the South Pacific during World War II as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in U.S. Navy Civil Engineering Corps. He graduated from Michigan College of Mining and Technology shortly after his return from the war. He then went to work, first for 3M and later Armco Steel, settling in Toledo in 1950. He started his own firm, the William C. Turnbull Company, in 1957. The company specialized in the design and construction of low temperature buildings, completing projects in 36 states and five foreign countries. He operated the company successfully for 27 years before selling it and retiring in 1984. Widely respected as a talented and innovative engineer, Bill served as the President of the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers in 1961 and was a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. Bill is survived by his wife Christine nee Benninghofen, also from Hamilton, with whom he shared 58 wonderful years. He was preceded in death by his brother Robert, of Hamilton, and his sister, Vanessa, of Florida. His brother George, of Hamilton, and his sister Dorothy, of Colorado, survive him. Bill took great pride in the four children he raised with his wife: Peter and his wife, Laura, of Oakland, CA, Daniel and his wife, Sally, of Cary, NC, Jeffrey and his wife, Lee Ellen, of Charlotte, NC and Andrew and his wife, Vanessa, also of Charlotte, NC. There are ten grandchildren: Brian, Rachel, Matthew, Taylor, Jackson, Victoria, James, Ian, Luke, and Jacob as well as numerous nephews and nieces. Together with his wife, he supported numerous civic activities around Toledo, including the Toledo Zoo and the Toledo Museum of Art. He served on the board of the Downtown Rotary, Inverness Club and the Redeemer Lutheran Church. Bill enjoyed boating, fly fishing and travel. With his wife Chrissy, he traveled throughout Europe, the Near East, Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. He took many fishing trips, often with one or more of his sons, to spectacular destinations in the US and worldwide. Bill loved summertime cruising on the Great Lakes, taking numerous extended trips on his boat with his wife as first mate. Friends and family will visit at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave. west of Corey Rd. on Thursday from 4-8:00pm and on Saturday from 2-3:00pm followed by funeral services at 3:00pm with the Rev. Robert Thomas officiating. Contributions in Bills memory may be made to any charity of your choice. The family would like to gratefully acknowledge the compassionate care given to Bill by Promedica Hospice. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com