HARLAN COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) - Kentucky State Senator Johnnie L. Turner, of Harlan, has died following complications from a lawn mower accident.
Turner served in the House from 1999 until 2002. He was elected to the Senate in 2021. Turner represents Senate District 29, which includes Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties.
He won the May 2024 primary and was running unopposed for the November 2024 election.
Senator Phillip Wheeler announced the passing of Turner and released a statement, “Eastern Kentucky and the 29th Senate District have suffered an irreparable loss, a loss even more deeply felt by Johnnie’s friends and family. Please keep Johnnie’s wife Maritza, his children Yazmin, Susie, and Johnnie, and his grandchildren in your thoughts and prayers.”
Johnnie L. Turner was born on Christmas Eve in 1947 and was one of 11 children, growing up in Harlan County before attending Red Bird Mission School.
Turner served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969 in the Panama Canal Zone, where he met the love of his life Maritza to whom he was married for more than 50 years. Turner attended Union College and graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Turner practiced law for 46 years and served in the legislature twice. He served in the Kentucky House from 1999-2002. He was elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 2020.
Turner suffered injuries as the result of a tragic lawn mower accident on September 15, 2024.
