Virginia Browning Turner was born in Hendersonville September 20, 1934, and passed away peacefully on January 22, 2023, at the age of 88 after an extended battle with dementia. Virginia was the daughter of the late Albert S. “Bert” Browning, Jr. and Sara Gregory Browning. She was preceded in death by her husband Hiram B. “Barry” Turner, Jr. and her brother Albert S. “Bert” Browning III. She is survived by her 3 children, Sara T. Huggins and her husband Danny Huggins, Richard W. Turner, and Rebecca R. Turner, and by 4 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
Except for college and the first years of her marriage as the wife of an Army officer, she lived her life in her beloved hometown of Hendersonville, NC. She was the 2ndof 5 generations to graduate from HHS. She then attended Randolph Macon Women’s College for 2 years before transferring to UNCCH where she achieved her degree in Physics as one of the first 2 women to complete such a degree at Chapel Hill.
After marrying and hopscotching around the country to various Army bases, Virginia returned with her family to Hendersonville in 1965 and dedicated herself to both raising her family and serving her community. By the early 70’s, Virginia and Barry established the Browning-Turner Realty Co., which was the family business into the early 80’s.
Whomever coined the phrase “dynamite comes in small packages” must have known Virginia. Though slight in stature and fairly soft-spoken, very little ever stood in the way of her achieving her goals. When her husband Barry passed in 1982, she took over his position as regional director of their local branch of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. She then was nominated and elected as the national president of MBCA, maintaining that position for many years.
She may be better known for her dedication to community service. It would be next to impossible to detail all the years and the organizations she served. She first started with Junior Welfare, then became Neighborhood Chairwoman for the Girl Scouts… followed by many years of service to the American Red Cross and the Rape Crisis Center. No list could possibly give the appropriate credit or accolades her efforts deserve.
In her later years, there were two main areas of focus. Her dogs were her companions and her passion throughout her life. She took pleasure in training and competing in agility competitions and served for many years as treasurer for the Hendersonville Kennel Club.
Her other passion was working as a volunteer with the Bonsai collection at the NC Arboretum in Asheville. She first learned the art in a continuing ed course at Blue Ridge Tech taught by Arthur Joura, the curator of the Arboretum’s Bonsai collection. Virginia convinced him to give her a chance to work with the collection, and then spent at least 2 days per week there for the next 23 years helping maintain the wonderful bonsai plants. This was just one expression of her many artistic talents we came to admire.
Virginia was ever generous of her heart, her time, her energy, and her resources. Our family has been immeasurably blessed by her dedication and her love, and Hendersonville has lost a true gem of a civil servant.
A Celebration of Life service will be held in the chapel of the First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville beginning at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, Feb 7 with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to the NC Arboretum Bonsai Project, 4 Seasons Hospice, or an Alzheimer’s research foundation of your choice.