Haskell and Dorothy had taken two little girls as foster children before Christmas in 2006. One of the little girls had a friend over to spend Friday night. Haskell had told them he would take them to the river that runs through his property on Saturday morning to fish. The visiting little girl decided to get in the water and got in trouble. Haskell went in to save the little girl, which he did, but couldn't get himself out of the water and drowned. He sent the girls for help, but by the time they returned he was gone. The rescue squad had to drag the river for his body.
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Article that appeared on the front page of the Jackson Clarion Ledger April 1, 2007
Man, 75, drowns saving teenager
" Girl had fallen into Pearl River near man's Crystal Springs home
By Nicklaus Lovelady
nicklaus.lovelady@@jackson.gannett.com
A 75-year-old Crystal Springs man spent nearly his entire life helping others. On Saturday, he died doing the same. Haskell Turner drowned in the Pearl River after saving the life of a 14-year-old girl who had fallen into the water. The girl escaped serious injury, authorities said. She was one of three girls playing on the river bank that butts up against Turner's property. Turner was a temporary guardian of two of the girls, ages 7 and 10, and the 14-year-old is a friend.
Around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Turner carried a bucket of bait and fishing poles to the river so he and the three girls could fish. As Turner made his way to the girls, the 14-year-old slipped off the bank and fell into the river, Turner's wife, Dorothy, said Saturday evening. "He saw that she was in serious trouble, so he jumped in after her," Dorothy Turner said. "He managed to get her out of the water, but the current must have gotten him."
The water is 24 feet deep at that point, said Capt. Dent Guyness of the Crystal Springs Volunteer Fire Department and incident commander. Dorothy Turner said her husband knew how to swim. After Turner pushed the 14-year-old out of the water, the girls ran to the house to get help, Guyness said. Responders from Copiah, Hinds and Simpson counties aided in the search for Turner's body until shortly after 3 p.m.
Heartbreak and shock surrounded Turner's family members and friends. They remembered his selfless attitude. "He spent the last 24 years helping others and serving the Lord, and the Lord has blessed us in return," Dorothy Turner said.
The two girls the Turners were taking care of are nieces of their daughter-in-law.
Turner was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. He was active in the Mississippi Airborne Association. Carroll Garrett of Edwards had known Turner since they went to Central High School in Jackson together. The two eventually became soldiers together .
Garrett, 75, could hardly believe the news of his friend's death. He said Turner will be remembered as a Christian man who loved his family.
Turner is survived by four children.
In 1987, he retired from a trucking company based in Shreveport, where he had served as a terminal director. After retiring, he and his wife moved into the Crystal Springs home that had been owned by his family since he was 9. He volunteered his time giving devotionals to senior citizens and helping with local elections. He and his wife had been married 56 years. "I just don't know how I'm going to get along without him. He was my strength," Dorothy Turner said. "But I do know where he is, and I know what he's hearing from the Lord: 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.' "
