Obituary courtesy: dailystarjournal.com
Bill Turnage was honored in 2002 with the CoSIDA Lester Jordan Award, an honor presented to an individual for exemplary service to the Academic All-America® Program and the promotion of the ideals of being a student-athlete. He received a 25-Year Award in 2007 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
In Memoriam: Bill Turnage - 1947-2020
Bill J. Turnage, age 72, of Warrensburg, Missouri passed away Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at his home.
He was born February 17, 1947, in Murphysboro, Illinois, the son of William M. and Betty J. Turnage.
Bill graduated from Murphysboro Township High School in 1965 and from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1969 with a Bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television.
Bill’s career included work for KOKO Radio (1969-1981), University of Central Missouri (1981-2002), and Florida Southern College (2002-2012). He was inducted into the University of Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame (2008), received the CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), and was selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) by the U.C.M. Baseball Diamond Club.
Turnage served as voice of the Central Missouri football, basketball, and baseball teams from 1969-81 before becoming the Sports Information Director from 1981-2002. He was present at all but one of Central Missouri’s football games from 1969 to 2001. He received 33 awards from CoSIDA for publications excellence and served on the Academic All-America Committee beginning in 1987.
Bill was a member of the Warrensburg Lions Club since 1984 where he served in several roles including president. He received the Melvin Jones Fellow Award in 2018. Bill served his community by volunteering with the Meals on Wheels program for the Warrensburg Senior Center and working with the Food Pantry for the First United Methodist Church.
Bill was a member of the Warrensburg First United Methodist Church.
Bill is survived by his sister, Judy (Art) Frazier of Chester, Illinois; his brother, John (Lois) Turnage of Pleasantville, Iowa; his nieces, Amber (Ron) Cushman of Chester, Illinois, Megan (Michael) Van Heiden of Ankeny, Iowa; and Michelle Turnage of Pleasantville, Iowa; his nephew, Mark Turnage of Des Moines, Iowa; and his great-nephews, JR (Ashley) & Hunter Cushman of Chester, Illinois.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 7, at First United Methodist Church in Warrensburg.
The family will receive friends from 6-8:00 p.m. on Thursday at Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions are suggested to UCM Athletics (checks made payable to UCM Foundation) or the Warrensburg Senior Center and can be left in care of the funeral home.
Turnage (center) was honored in 2019 by UCM with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Recollections of Bill Turnage
“I met Bill when our schools went head to head in basketball regionals one season and met up again when Central Missouri and Florida Southern met for the 1994 baseball national championship. His Mules won the title and years later, after he joined FSC, he would ask me questions as to win FSC did certain things in that championship game. I could barely recall the situation, but Bill knew it down to the count on the batter. But that was Bill! He had that mindset where he cared about the details and the history of the profession.
Ironically, at the 2002 baseball championships I ran into Bill once again. I told him that I would be leaving the SID job at Florida Southern. Bill was interested as he was no longer going to work at Central Missouri. He applied and got the job at FSC. As much as Bill loved the SID professions, his true passion was behind the mic, whether it was as an emcee at a banquet or announcing play-by-play at a basketball or baseball game. He just had that great, rich, radio voice. That was where he was truly in his element. We worked together many times as I stayed at the college and would often help out at game during stats or PA. The true highlights were our lunches together. The man sure loved his barbeque and chocolate chip cookies.”
Wayne Koehler
Former Sports Information Director
Florida Southern College
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“Wayne Kohler and I both worked with him for 10 years at Florida Southern after Bill joined us from Central Missouri. Those were some good years, probably the best I enjoyed in the profession though I didn’t realize it at the time. It was still a time when people often traveled with their teams and saw each other face-to-face, and the internet, social media, and video streaming hadn’t quite taken firm control of everything we do. In fact, one of the last conversations we had before Bill retired in 2012 was how everything was changing, and we were worried about the effect that would have on everyone.
I think the biggest reason Bill was successful and thrived as a SID was because he was truly a “people person.” He had the type of demeanor and outlook on life that allowed him to deal with any situation, not just professionally but compassionately too. That’s not an easy thing to balance. We may have met him because of our jobs, but every one of us remembers him for the type of person he was and not the work he did. I hope all of us end up that way, defined more by who we are than by our job titles.
We all have some funny stories too about Bill, so it’s not all serious. Those are the best ones since you’ll always be able to smile or laugh about those memories. Most of them centered on his challenges with technology and I’m making myself laugh now just thinking about some of them, one in particular with Statcrew. Regardless, he was one of the best and I know I wouldn’t have survived the years I did without him.”
Tim Carpenter
Daytona State College Communications Manager
Former Florida Southern Assistant Director, Athletic Communications