James Charles “Jim” Turner, 86, of Chicora, passed away Wednesday at the VNA Inpatient Hospice with his family by his side.

He was born March 6, 1925, in Donegal Township, the son of William Richard and Laura Alice (Ruth) Turner.

Jim was born and raised in Donegal Township, one of eight children, where he acquired a strong work ethic and unwavering support of family and friends that continued throughout his life and which he proudly modeled for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was a member of the McKee Chapel United Methodist Church in Fenelton.

Jim honorably served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he took part in the European Theater and the invasion of Normandy. Jim was awarded the Soldiers Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with five bronze stars and the World War II Victory Medal.

Jim married Mary C. Double on Aug. 3, 1951; and this summer would have marked their 60th wedding anniversary.

Jim worked for Penreco for 32 years prior to his retirement in 1990.

He was a member of the Chicora VFW Post 7876, the Farm Bureau Association, the Pennsylvania Independent Petroleum Producers and the National Rifle Association.

Jim was a hard-working man of the outdoors who enjoyed hunting, farming, and tending to his oil wells. He loved the land and took great pride in his farm and the large garden he and Mary would put in each year. Everyone knew him as someone who could always be counted on, either for help with a project or just for good conversation.

Of all the aspects of his life he enjoyed talking about and telling stories of, nothing came close to the love he had for his family and the time he spent with his wife and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His favorite times were those spent during the holidays when the entire family would gather together for meals.

He was a loving husband, a caring father and grandfather and a proud veteran who will be sadly missed by the many people whose lives he has touched.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Mary C. (Double) Turner; his five sons, Jim Turner and his wife, Dorothy, Richard Turner and Deb McCrumb, Tom Turner and his wife, Lori, John Turner and his wife, Deana, and David Turner and his wife Michele, all of Chicora; his three daughters, Linda Griffiths and her husband Bill, Kathy Anderson and her husband, Dave and Alice Anderson and her husband, Bob, all of Chicora; 18 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Shirley Turner; three brothers, Bill, Miles and John Turner; and four sisters, Ella Turner, Margaret Snyder, Alice Double and Naomi Peters.

<B>TURNER</B> — Relatives and friends of James Charles “Jim” Turner, who died Wednesday, June 22, 2011, may visit from 7 to 9 p.m. today and from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the <B>Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home and Cremation Services</B>, 102 Argyle St., Petrolia. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the McKee Chapel United Methodist Church with his pastor, the Rev. Sheila Auer officiating. Burial will follow in the Worthington Lutheran Cemetery, Armstrong County, with full military honors presented by the Chicora VFW Post 7876, American Legion Post 642 and Bradys Bend Post 488.Donations may be made in Jim's memory to the VNA Inpatient Hospice, 115 Technology Drive, Butler, PA 16001.To view the video tribute honoring Jim's life and express online condolences to his family visit: www.bauerhillisfuneral.com.