Special Thanks to Wirt Gilliam and John McCright of

Adventures in Bridge Recreational Center
4659 Mission Gorge Pl, San Diego CA 92120

for allowing us to host the memorial event for Dana Turner

at their facility on Saturday, January 7th, 2006, 1-3pm

Words of Sheri Ellis, Dana’s daughter

We have come together to celebrate and honor the life and times of Dana Turner, now that she has passed over into a new life.  She has touched each of our lives in so many ways.  Now is a time to celebrate her life and understand our sadness.  I believe that Dana is not lost to us, but rather will be a part of our lives in a different way now.  I believe that each of us has a reason for being here in this world and in this life.  And I believe that each of us has a reason for leaving, when the purposes of this life are done.  The soul must journey beyond to pause, to rest, to wait for those who are loved.  The last time I spoke to her was on Christmas Day, several hours before she passed.  She told me how happy she was, how happy her grandchildren were, how she thought the house looked beautiful and how great dinner smelled.  They played cards that evening, which was one of her favorite things.  She was content, fulfilled.  To honor her, I want to list some of the things she taught me, because I believe that is the highest form of praise.  She taught me first of all to question the status quo and to never give up on your dream.  

How many women received their Bachelor's degree in computer science at age 50?  None!  No one else on this planet!  I am going to get her listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for it!  I watched her fight so many incredible forces against her to do that!  And she won.  When I was a child, she taught me to value reading, and encouraged me to read everything and anything.  In 5th grade, my teacher was horrified to find out I was reading "Gone with the Wind" and called Mom to tell her, but Mom's reply was "If she's old enough to understand it, she's old enough to read it!"  I think the most important thing she taught me was tolerance.  She never once tried to force her ideas on anyone else.  She let people believe and do what they wanted.   Of course, she expected everyone else to do the same with her, and of course there were people including myself who tried to talk her into changing her mind about something.  My Dad was hard of hearing, but I believe my Mom was hard of listening.  But that was her!  She taught me by her example, to stick to my guns and not be too swayed by what other people think.  Goodbye, Mom.  I will always remember your lessons.

Words of Paul Caballero, Dana’s son (read by Sheri)

Dee was my mom.
Although she wanted more time here on earth, I'm not sure why.
She married the man she loved— raised 3 children— enriched herself with education— succeeded in a damn hard career— created and ran a successful business— watched her grand kids grow and showered them with love— faced down and overcame every obstacle the world ever threw at her... and did it with a smile.
A more worthwhile life I cannot imagine.
She was graced with god's love and earned every bit of it.
Goodbye mom, I always loved you.

Words of Grace Caballero, Dana’s daughter (read by Sheri)

It is with a sad heart that I am unable to attend the Memorial Service today.  I want to thank everyone for coming here today to pay respects to my Mom, Dana Turner Caballero.  I appreciate everyone's concern and sympathy during this time of transition.  It's a fact that everyone dies, and it's a blessing that she was able to pass with no pain, in the care and attention of people that she loved most.  I'm so happy that her life ended in dignity without complication and stress to her family because I know she would have wanted it that way.

In looking back over Mom's life, her passing is a testimony of the way she lived her life— with dignity and respect for others.   She always put her family first with sincere dedication and commitment.  She had many gifts that she bestowed on friends and family— gifts such as gentle humour, loyalty, intelligence, honesty, forgiveness, and strength of spirit.  She was someone you could rely on when things got tough, which is a rare quality and I always admired this about her.

I know that the world was a better place because of Dee.  She was a faithful wife, a loving mother and an extraordinary Grandmother.  She was also very intelligent, and broke ground into a realm that few women ventured to go— the world of computer programming.  She achieved her Bachelor's degree of Computer Science when she was 50 years old.  A remarkable accomplishment considering the fact that she was working 2 full-time jobs and raising three small children.  It took her 8 years to complete this goal and experienced many obstacles along the way.  I was very proud to attend her graduation ceremony, but then witnessed her dismay as she attempted to find work.    At age 50, no-one would hire a female computer programmer fresh out of college.   Luckily, the company where she was working as a data processor had an internal hiring policy that required them by law to promote people that had earned an advanced degree.  So, begrudgingly, they gave her a position as programmer in the Engineering department and appointed her the 'Documentation Specialist'— in other words, she was the filing clerk for the programmers.  The year was 1982 and she persevered for over a year with a smile on her face.  I was so impressed she could have such a positive attitude considering the circumstances.  She told me "I'll get my chance".  Then, one day, there was a really tough problem with a special project that was behind schedule.  No-one could figure out what was wrong with the program code, and they were going to lose a large sum of money if they didn't deliver the work on -time.  Mom asked if she could take a look at it.  Well, the guys said "we've got nothing to lose" and gave her a chance.  She worked on that problem day and night for a few days and fixed it so they could make their deadline.  Things turned around for her after this.  They kept giving her the really hard assignments, thinking that if she's failed, they could fire her legally, and if she succeeded, they could keep their customers happy.  She didn't waiver, always fixed their toughest problems with a smile— never complaining.   At the height of her career, she was working on top-secret assignments for the US Navy using very sophisticated equipment and staying quite humble about it at the same time.   She was happy— doing something that she really loved doing— and delighted to be in a profession that honoured her for her accomplishments.  She accomplished her dreams, she was a winner.

Mom taught me that you need more than intelligence to accomplish your dreams.   She demonstrated these traits throughout her life— patience, humility, right attitude, and NEVER GIVE UP.

I am forever indebted to her for bestowing this wisdom to me.

I hope all of you have found benefit through knowing her— I know I have.  Many blessings to all of you and thank you again for being here today.