Jerry Whiteside Turner A live Zoom tribute to Jerry will take place on Sunday, February 28, at 7 PM Eastern time at this link: Jerry Whiteside Turner, 89, of Dale City, VA, passed away on February 21, 2021 after an extended illness. Jerry was born in Guntersville, Alabama to Willam R. Turner and Thelma Whiteside on April 7, 1931. The family moved when Jerry was 15 years old, to Gastonia, NC, where he lived out his high school years and married Gretchel R. Rector on October 6, 1951 in Greenville, SC. He joined the US Air Force at age 19, and completed various training programs, including Officer Candidate School, which was a highly sought-after program at the time and required the highest level of recommendations in order to attend. The training led to an eventual promotion to First Lieutenant, and to many more promotions over the years until he achieved his retirement rank of Lt. Colonel. Jerry was one of the rare Air Force individuals who was able to advance all the way from airman to Lt. Colonel, from status E-1 to O-5 in military parlance.