Mildred Gonzalez

Mildred Turner Gonzalez, 93, of Decatur passed away peacefully on July 26, 2020 at her home. Funeral service will be 10:00 AM, Friday, July 31 at Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home, Decatur. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 PM, Thursday, July 30 at the funeral home. Burial will be in Macon County Memorial Park. Memorials in Millie’s honor may be made to First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 250 W Decatur St., Decatur, IL 62522; The Robert G. Turner Scholarship Fund c/o The Community Foundation of Macon County, 101 S Main St #400, Decatur, IL 62523; or The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, PO Box 98018, Washington DC 20090. Millie's service will also be on the Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Homes Facebook Live. Please navigate to our page on Facebook and watch for the Live notification beginning at 10:00 AM, Friday, July 31. Mildred Ruth was born March 5, 1927 in Chicago, IL the daughter of Irving Louis and Melissa (Hunt) Johnson. She is a graduate of South Haven (Michigan) High School, North Park Junior College , Chicago, and earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education at Augustana College, Rock Island. She married Robert G. Turner in 1951. He preceded her in death. She married Rudy Gonzalez in 1994. Millie taught music and art at AlWood High School, music at Beecher City High School, and English as a Second Language at Roosevelt Middle School and MacArthur High School in Decatur. She directed church choirs in Illinois (Milan, Woodhull and Shumway) and Trinity Lutheran, Central United Methodist and First Lutheran in Decatur. She formerly directed the PTA Chorus, PEO Chorus and Gracenotes Singing Group. She sang in the Greater Decatur Chorale, Millikin-Community Chorus, Opus 24 Choral and Cornerstone Chorale and Brass of St. Louis. She played handbells with the Celebration Ringers, the All City Bell Choir, First Lutheran Bell Choir and the First Appeal Bell Choir of First Methodist Church. She enjoyed tap dancing with the “Rockerettes” and entertained at nursing homes. Her community activities included: Charter Member of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra Guild Board and Ways and Means Committee, Red Cross Chairman of Volunteers and volunteer at DMH, Project READ tutor, Chapter CX of PEO (past president), Macon County Historical Society Board, James Millikin Homestead Board, Noon Kiwanis Club of Decatur, was a former part owner of the Linn House, and a member of First Lutheran Church where she was a Lay Assistant, sang in the choir and was President of the Women of the ELCA. Millie enjoyed traveling and has been in all 50 states and countless foreign countries. Mille is survived by her children, Debby Trump of Decatur, Cary Turner and wife Rhonda of Mackinaw, and Jon Turner and wife Joanne of Allen, TX and daughter-in-law, Marcie Turner- Parrish of Rapid City, SD; grandchildren, Lisa Trump-Durbin (Jeremy), Rob Turner, Andrew (Trina) Turner, Lincoln Turner, Andrea Turner and a step-grandchild, Rick (Cindy) Nystrom; great-grandchildren, Cole, Braden, Chloe, Khaleesi, and Miles; siblings, Susie Hoag, Pete (Joyce) Johnson, Harold (Nancy) Johnson, and Clara Start. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Robert “Bob” Turner; and a son, Jeff Turner. Millie’s family wishes to extend a special thank you to the entire staff at Primrose Retirement Community for their care and compassion for Millie.