Capt. George E. Turley, 58, of the Chattanooga Fire Department, died on Dec. 14 while on duty at Chattanooga Fire Station 16 on Lupton Drive.
Capt. Turley was a 31-year veteran of the fire department. He was born in Manchester, Conn., and attended school in Brimfield, Ohio. Before moving to Chattanooga and joining the Chattanooga Fire Department, he lived and worked in Port St. Lucie, Fla. In 1993, he graduated from the Chattanooga Fire Academy. At his death, he was the most senior member of the department.
According to a fire department spokesman, “Capt. Turley’s passion for the fire service and compassion for others has left a mark on many in our department. He truly cared about the job, and he wanted it done right, making him a role model and strong leader in the CFD. He was a staple in the Hixson community who always went the extra mile to make school visits and station visits extra special for children. Capt. Turley was a good person and a solid firefighter who will be greatly missed. He enjoyed teaching, and he also worked as an instructional specialist in emergency response training for TVA.”
In addition, Capt. Turley also worked at Tennessee Fire Equipment. He loved his work, his squad, leading school visits, and teaching children about the fire department.
Capt. Turley and his family attended St. Jude Church, where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Deborah Turley; sons Spenser Turley of Tokyo, and Alex Turley (Kate Ford) of Chattanooga; his parents, Bill and Loretta Breault of Manchester, Conn.; brothers Gene (Barbie) Turley of Manchester, Conn.; Larry (Paula) Turley of Ledyard, Conn.; and a sister, Fran (Glenn) Uslan of Jacksonville, Fla. He is also survived by sister-in-law Mary Dinsmore (Steven Mederios) of Chattanooga; brothers-in-law Eric (Stephanie) Dinsmore of Orlando, Fla., and Andrew Dinsmore (Jennifer Allender) of Cleveland, Tenn.; and several nieces and nephews.
Capt. Turley also leaves behind a vast and beloved brotherhood of firefighters with whom he worked and who tended to him in his time of need. Special members of his squad were Ace Gardner, Terrance Watkins, Jesse Ridge, and the late Chad Crisp.
A funeral Mass for Capt. Turley was celebrated on Dec. 20 at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. Burial was at Lakewood Memory Gardens in Chattanooga.
The family would like to thank Chief Phil Hyman, Seth Miller, Dusty Rose, Kristin Duke, members of the Chattanooga Fire Fighter’s Association, Local 820, and all of Capt. Turley’s brothers and sisters in the Chattanooga Fire Department and the Chattanooga Police Department who have supported him these last 31 years and taken care of him in recent days.