Floyd "Gene" Eugene Turley

Floyd “Gene” Eugene Turley was born on February 1, 1958, in Twin Falls, ID, as the second child to Woodrow Joseph Turley and Joyce Elaine Gambrel (Glasmann). Growing up alongside his older sibling Pamela Marie Turley (Mattice), Gene's early years were marked by adventures on his grandparents’ farm in Eden, Idaho, where he was both spoiled and taught the virtues of hard work.

A proud graduate of Twin Falls High School, Class of 1976, Gene's journey through education was significantly enriched with his involvement in sports. Throughout these years, he made many lifelong friends. Gene was introduced to sports by his father and uncle, who were also gifted athletes. He excelled in football, baseball, and boxing. He was a golden glove boxer. He also played baseball at Rick’s College. Despite potential offers to compete at higher levels in both boxing and baseball, he turned them down to marry the love of his life, Carol Jean Lybbert, whom he met in his second year while at Rick’s College.

Gene and Carol were married on June 9, 1978, in the Idaho Falls Temple. Gene began his career in law enforcement in Twin Falls. They welcomed their first daughter, Angela, in 1980.  They then moved to the Moses Lake, Washington area where Gene continued his work in law enforcement with the Moses Lake Police Department and Hanford Patrol. They continued growing their family with Joseph (1981), Emma (1983), Deanna (1985), and Belinda (1986). In 1987 Gene, Carol, and children returned home to Twin Falls where Justin (1988) and Drew (1990) were born.

Gene continued his career with the Twin Falls Police Department and tried his hand at owning a few businesses before transitioning to the Twin Falls County Coroner’s Office in 1995.

Gene’s passion was serving the people of Twin Falls County as the County Coroner. He served as the coroner for five different terms spread across nearly 30 years. He attended numerous trainings and achieved certifications in death investigation. He loved working with the people in his community. He had a remarkable gift and ability to sincerely comfort grieving families in their most sorrowful moments. 

As a father, Gene was a loyal and fierce protector who taught both strength and compassion. He was also actively involved in his children’s sports. Not only would he play catch outside for hours, but he coached little league teams and mentored his children and their friends through baseball, softball, football, track, and other sports. Despite having seven children who were all athletes themselves, Gene and Carol rarely missed a game or event for their children. 

Gene had a love for the outdoors, especially riding his motorcycles through the mountains and countryside. He and Carol often traveled together on his motorcycle to visit family in surrounding states. He owned multiple Harley Davidson motorcycles and Rewakos throughout the years. Snake River Harley Davidson is losing a very cherished and dedicated customer. 

Gene had a love of finding new hobbies and interests. He taught himself how to play the guitar, banjo, and unfortunately the bagpipes. He taught himself basic Gaelic and loved to speak it. We’re still not sure of his pronunciation, but he thought he sounded good. He collected anything with the Green Bay Packers logo on it, which made it easy to shop for him on the holidays. He enjoyed engraving, designing workout plans, and watching old westerns.

In September 2021, he was devastated by the loss of his life-long love, when his wife, Carol, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 62. He never fully recovered from this loss. They were married over 43 years at the time of her death. There was a happy reunion in heaven on the day Gene joined Carol in heaven. 

Unfortunately, Gene was diagnosed with a terminal illness in August 2023. Despite their best medical efforts, the doctors predicted that he would only live a few days to maybe weeks longer. Being the stubborn man he was, Gene had a different timeline in mind. He went on hospice care and displayed his professional fighting spirit by defying all odds and living another eight months. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his children, on April 9, 2024. 

Gene is preceded in death by his loving wife, Carol Jean Turley, his father, Woodrow Turley, his mother, Joyce Glasmann, and his sister, Pamela Mattice. 

He is survived by his seven children, Angela (Justin) Heider, Joseph Turley, Emma (Mike) Egner, Deanna (Andy) Weigel, Belinda (Luke) Mickelson, Justin (Katrina) Turley, and Drew (Meagan) Turley, his 23 grandchildren, and one great-grandson.

Gene will be remembered as a pillar of strength, compassion, and unwavering support, not just to his family but to his community. His legacy is one of service, love, and joy. Gene's dedication to his family and friends, and his commitment to serving others will be ingrained in the hearts of all who knew him. 

A viewing for Gene will be from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Wilks Magic Valley Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301 and from 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the North Point LDS building located at 1134 N. College Rd. West, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at The North Point LDS building located at 1134 N College Rd. West Twin Falls, Idaho 83301. Interment will be at Sunset Memorial Park. Webcasting of the funeral service will be available below.