Annie A. Turnage

Date published: 9/21/2009

Annie A. Turnage

Annie Ava Turnage, 93, died Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.

She was born Nov. 3, 1915, in Greene, N.C., a daughter of the late Noah Henry and Mary Ava Gray Turnage. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by five sisters and four brothers.

Miss Turnage was a member of Mewborn's Primitive Baptist Church. She held a bachelor's and a master's degree from East Carolina University, and taught in Snow Hill, N.C., schools for 41 years.

In 1970, she was named Outstanding Educator of the Year, and she was a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, a professional education sorority. A published poet, she was registered in Who's Who in Poetry, 1978.

Survivors include her nephew Francis Shirley "Frank" Turnage and his wife, Nancy Wells Turnage, and great-nephews Wells and Noah Turnage, who all cared for her in Fredericksburg since 1992. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, including Elder J.M. Mewborn, Henry Mewborn, Alma Mewborn, Ruth Martin, Agnes Pennington and Helen Beaman, and their children.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, in the Mewborn family cemetery in Snow Hill, with Elder J. M. Mewborn presiding.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Mewborn's Primitive Baptist Church, c/o Lester Gray, 2856 Dally-Waldrop Road, Kinston, N.C. 28504 or to the Turnage Endowment, Germanna Community College Foundation, 2130 Germanna Highway, Locust Grove, Va. 22508.

Henry Funeral Home, Staunton, is handling the arrangements, and condolences may be sent to the family at henryfuneral home.net.

Follow us on

Read more stories about Orange
Date published: 9/21/2009