Obituary of Richard William Turk

Richard W. Turk, 87 of Cloquet died Thursday, August 1, 2002 in the Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton. He was born December 27, 1914 in Milwaukee, WI to Karl and Emilia (Hamalinen) Turk. His family moved to Montana and Richard spent his early years on a ranch. Going to school was a challenge back then as he rode horseback to and from school. During his school years, he worked as a ranch hand where he earned a wage of $1.00 a day. As a teenager, he was somewhat of a prankster and once put a dead skunk in the chimney of the one-room Montana school house where he attended. His family later moved to Finlayson where Richard eventually met and married Eva Kurki. They were married on June 20, 1937 in Cedar Valley, MN. Together they raised two daughters. Being born during WWI, living through the Great Depression, Richard was a very hard worker and made extraordinary efforts to support his family. During WWII he worked in the shipyards in Duluth where he learned the trade of welding. Even though he never served in the military, Richard felt there were many ways to show patriotism; doing things for his family, others, and the country. He was happy that people are showing more respect for the flag than ever before. After the war he moved his family to a farm near Finlayson. He worked the land and more often than not the tractor lights could still be seen at 10 or 11 at night and then Richard would be up early in the morning to take care of the cattle and other farm animals. Farming didn't pay much back then so after years of back-breaking work on the farm, he went to work as a welder with Hanna Mining Co. He moved to Nashwauk where he worked at Butler Brothers Taconite until his retirement in 1979. The people at the mines said he wasn't just a welder, he was a master craftsman. He took pride in his work and passed that work ethic along to his daughters. He moved to Cloquet in 1987. Richard enjoyed hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. He and his wife, Eva made two trips to Alaska to fish and see the sites. The time spent traveling in the United States were some of the most enjoyable of times of his life. Richard will be sadly missed by his daughters and their families, his many friends and his care givers at Inter-Faith Care Center. The family would like to thank the entire staff at the Inter - Faith Care Center for their loving and compassionate care. Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Eva on September 21, 1999; a granddaughter, Tracy Bennett and a sister, Edna Hammerquist. He is survived by two daughters, Armida Turk of Cloquet and Myrna (John) Filipczak of Grantsburg, WI; grandchildren, Monica (Alden) Bowman, Melissa (Jeff) Stepanek, Mark (Vanessa) Mattson; and 5 great grandchildren. Funeral services were held Wednesday, August 7, 2002 in Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th St. in Cloquet. Burial was in the Finlayson Cemetery.