Lance Corporal Joshua Paul Turner, age 26, of Yorktown, Virginia, passed away tragically on September 1, 2023 in the presence of his loving fiancée and father.

Joshua was born on March 29, 1997 to Brenda and Carl Turner in Williamsburg, Virginia. As a child, Joshua was fascinated with the military and guns. He could often be found running around the neighborhood or church in camouflage, cowboy boots, and with a BB gun pretending to fight in faraway combat zones. After graduating from Gloucester High School, Joshua went on to fulfill a lifelong dream to serve his country, joining the United States Marine Corps in 2016. During his time on active duty, Joshua served as an armorer and received the following awards: Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Expert Rifle Qualification Badge (1), Expert Pistol Qualification Badge (2), and Navy Arctic Service Ribbon, for performing more than 28 days of service above the Arctic Circle in Norway. Joshua met his best friend and the love of his life, Carley Murphy, in October 2020. Joshua and Carley were engaged in February 2022 and were looking forward to getting married on October 15, 2023. Joshua didn’t care about material things (except for maybe guns and power tools) and was always focused on what truly mattered in life. He was a kind-hearted soul, who could strike up a conversation with anyone and often went out of his way to give of his time and money to help his family, friends, and strangers in need. One day, shortly after returning back to Virginia from Camp Lejeune, a lady in front of Joshua at the grocery store couldn’t pay for all of her groceries. As she started to choose what she was going to leave behind, Joshua told her, “I will take care of it,” and paid for her entire order.

Joshua is survived by his mother, Brenda Turner; father, Carl Turner; sister, Megan Turner; fiancée, Carley Murphy, and his bunnies, “Bugs” and “Lola.” Family and friends are welcome to attend a visitation at Hogg Funeral Home on Thursday, September 7, 2023, from 6-7:30 p.m. The funeral service conducted by Pastor Nathan Varnadore and Chaplain John C. Seltzer will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, September 8, 2023, at Providence Baptist Church, 3501 Providence Road, Hayes, Virginia 23072. Interment will follow in the church cemetery with military honors. Joshua’s family and fiancée ask that donations be made to the Marine Corps League Detachment #1317 (P.O. Box 1930), Gloucester, Va. 23061) in honor of Joshua. Services under the direction of Hogg Funeral Home.