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April Turner '04 September 16, 2014 12:31 PM

[Photo with dog accompanies Eagle article below obituary]

Hillier Funeral Home obituary
2301 E. 29th St.
Bryan, TX 77802
(979) 822-1571

April Rachel Turner
April 18, 1982 - September 13, 2014

April Rachel Turner 
April 18, 1982 – September 13, 2014 

April Rachel Turner, 32, of College Station, passed away on Saturday, September 13, 2014. 

April was born to Gary and Betty Sue (Wynne) Turner on April 18, 1982 in Dallas. She grew up in Richardson, but graduated in 2000 from A&M Consolidated High School in College Station. April went on to attend Texas A&M University receiving a Bachelor’s in Epidemiology and a Master’s in Public Health. She taught at several different schools in College Station and the Dallas area. April had also completed her EMT training and was planning to attend Nursing School. 

April loved being a mom, her son Beaux was the most important thing in her life. She was very connected to her family, always thinking of others before herself. April loved music and could be often found in the front row of a concert. She was very outgoing and adventurous. April loved animals especially dogs and horses. She enjoyed horseback riding and playing polo. April’s last moments were spent rescuing her dog Bodie from the rain and flooding in College Station on Saturday. 

She was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Sue Turner; grandparents, Helen Mae and James Monroe Wynne and her paternal grandparents. 

April is survived by her loving husband, Brett Crawford; son, Christopher Beaux Crawford; father, Garey Lee Turner; sisters, Melanie Sue Wheeler and Valerie Kim Mace and husband, Mark; brother, Matthew Ross Wheeler; best friend, Jamie Alvarado and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. 

The family requests, in lieu flowers, memorial donations be made to the April Turner Memorial Fund at any Prosperity Bank location in Bryan. 

Please share memories and tributes to April at www.hillierfuneralhome.com.
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(Published in) The (Bryan-College Station) Eagle (on) September 16, 2014

Family mourns Texas A&M graduate who died saving dog from creek

Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 12:00 am

By Sam Peshek sam.peshek@theeagle.com

A College Station woman who lost her life saving her dog Saturday will be remembered for her desire to show compassion toward animals in need.

April Turner, 32, had been walking Bodie, her 1-year-old lab mix, at Lick Creek Park, when he got into a creek and began struggling. She jumped into the water and pushed Bodie to safety, but was swept away by the flood current and died.

According to her sister, Valerie Mace of College Station, her courage to help animals in her final moments was indicative of her big heart.

"She's a hero," she said. "Her compassion overtook her."

Turner's love for animals started when her mother, who owned a pet shop, bought an Arabian horse that she lent out for therapy and for disabled children to ride as it grew older.

She spent her summers as a horse camp counselor at Rocky River Ranch Camp, where she was able to share her faith with young people.

When saving Bodie on Saturday, she wore a rubber Psalm 3:3 bracelet, which her sister now wears.

"She loved everybody the same and believed God's message that all people are valuable and that if you help them, you're doing it in the name of Christ," she said. "Even if it's something simple."

After graduating from A&M Consolidated High School in 2000, Turner incorporated her love of others into her higher education with a bachelor's degree in epidemiology and a master's degree in public health from Texas A&M. After graduation, she taught at a number of College Station and Dallas-area schools. She had recently completed her EMT training and was planning to attend nursing school.

A season ticket holder, Turner was planning to attend the Texas A&M-Rice football game. Her sister said she could easily be spotted in a crowd of maroon and white.

"She would have worn her Bonfire overalls and glitter," Mace said.

Turner's 8-year-old son, Christopher Beaux Crawford, has a smile that is identical to his mother, Mace said.

Mace hopes her sister is remembered for how much she cared for family and friends and her tireless effort to make sure those around her, whether on two legs or four, felt the love they deserved.

"She cares about kids and people who are hurting," Mace said. "She always got her animals from the pound and gave animals to homes that no one else wanted, and that's what she did for people as well.

"The family asks that donations be made to the April Rachel Turner Memorial Fund at Prosperity Bank to help with funeral costs and an education fund for her son.

In addition to her son, she is survived by her husband, Brett Crawford. A relative will take over caring for Bodie.

Other survivors include her father, Garey Lee Turner; sisters, Melanie Sue Wheeler and Valerie Kim Mace and her husband, Mark; brother, Matthew Ross Wheeler; best friend, Jamie Alvarado and numerous other friends and relatives.

Turner was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Sue Turner.

Funeral arrangements are pending.


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