Turners found their 'last posting' in Sisters

Barbara Turner isn't moving anytime soon. She and her husband, John, are well settled into their Sisters Country home and have been for 34 years. It's their 32nd home in 68 years of marriage. That's a lot of moves in the formative years of a long and productive relationship.

There are few career choices resulting in that sort of nomadic life, and for John and Barbara, members of the Greatest Generation, it was military service. John spent 32 years in the Army, retiring as a full colonel. His career took the family across the nation and around the world. Barbara served with him, in multiple roles of breadwinner (in the early days), mother and officer's wife.

The lessons learned during those years served Barbara well in her second career here in Sisters. She and John owned Sisters Cascade of Gifts for 32 years, moving here in 1980 and selling the business in 2012. Barbara was the face of the store, and during those years she served on the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce board and was a charter member of Sisters Rotary.

She is still active in Rotary, having found her passion there.

"As soon as I joined, I knew. I like being able to help and I like helping in our own community," she said.

When Barbara was a high school student in Casa Grande, Arizona, she was selected as the Rotary student of the year. Her first introduction to the service club involved giving a presentation to the members while still a student.

"It was daunting to be up in front of all those old guys," she recalled.

This was long before service clubs allowed women in their ranks, and these days Barbara works hard to make her club welcoming to all.

She loves people, and learned early to never judge anyone.

"I was taught that we're each different, we each have our own opinions," she said.

Her parents raised her with the Golden Rule and she and John worked to apply those values to their family.

Her knack for community service began during World War II, when Barbara was in high school. As a 14-year-old student, she volunteered as a Red Cross candy striper at the local hospital. John, who at that stage was "just a family friend," was on active duty in the Army Air Corps. When he returned, the pair dated for about three months and then married. Barbara had just graduated from high school.

John was asked to form a National Guard unit in their hometown of Casa Grande in 1948. He did that for two years, then the Korean War broke out. John requested active duty and was assigned to an artillery unit. The stage was set for the Turners' long run of household moves.

Their children (they eventually had four) were never allowed to call themselves "Army brats." When asked, they always politely said that they'd lived in many places because their father served in the Army.

Following his tour in Korea, John continued his training and his ascension through the officers' ranks. Barbara, meanwhile was managing the growing household. She did the normal volunteer duties in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and school. And, as John became a higher-ranking officer, she participated in the officers' wives' activities.

"It was expected of an officer's wife. All the parties were just part of the duty. If you received an invitation from a higher-ranking officer, you went to his house. You didn't beg off," she said.

It wasn't all social though. The senior officers' wives helped the junior wives find their way through the maze of hierarchy and provided support. If there was a hospital on post, they volunteered. They formed friendships that survived separations as their husbands held new orders and found ways to make family come first.

Upon John's retirement from the Army, the Turners ended up in Portland. Barbara was cautioned against returning to the harsh sun of the Southwest and told to find someplace cool and damp. The physical health benefits of that climate were quickly overshadowed by the dreariness of that cool dampness, and when the opportunity arose to purchase Sisters Cascade of Gifts, the Turners took it.

Barbara used the skills she'd developed as an officer's wife to grow the store into one of Sisters' most vibrant businesses. The fudge she made - and that the store still sells - is shipped all over the U.S. and devoured enthusiastically by locals and visitors to Sisters. And the dedication to service that is second-nature to her and John continues to stand Sisters in good stead.