Hundreds of people gathered Sunday afternoon for a celebration of life for Gary Turner, the owner of the Gay Parita Sinclair station west of Halltown, Missouri.
The KY3 television station out of nearby Springfield, Missouri, had a short video from the event. Alas, I cannot embed it, so you’ll have to go straight to the source.
Because of Turner’s popularity, his memorial Sunday would have been well-attended regardless. But I suspect the event received a boost because the Gasconade River Bridge rally was the day before, and many roadies spent a full weekend in Missouri. And I suspect Turner’s memorial helped attendance at the bridge rally, as well.
Turner died in January after battling health problems for the past few years. Turner’s station was a re-creation of a circa-1930 gas station owned by Fred and Gay Mason that stood in the tiny hamlet of Paris Springs, Missouri, until it burned down in 1955. During his retirement about 10 years ago, Turner rebuilt the station, and it became a must-stop for Route 66 travelers because of his hospitality and quirky, homespun humor.
Turner’s son, Steve, launched a GoFundMe page to help defray Gary’s medical expenses and provide long-term care for his widow.
Roamin’ Rich Dinkela put together this tribute to Gary Turner about a week ago, with an assist from the Hollies:
As Gary would say: Travel well, everyone.
I will have a photo album available later tonight. It was a special event for an amazing man. I was honored to be a part of such a passionate gathering.
Didn’t put the name with the place ’till I looked thru some trip photos. We stopped there with 2 of the grandkids and Gary invited them to sit in the Model A sedan. They had never experienced such and were thrilled no end.