Turley Loved Medicine and His Church Life — Top Urologist Rose to Hospital Chief of Staff

By Trey Heath heath@commercialappealcom

As chief of staff and president of the Baptist Hospital medical staff, Dr. Hubert King Turley’s love of medicine and his church helped him to become one of the leading urologists in Memphis.

Dr. Turley died of pneumonia at his home in Memphis Saturday. He was 88.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Dr. Turley served in the Army Medical Corps during WWII before retiring as a captain.

He then followed in his father’s footsteps, graduating from the Thomas Jefferson Medical School of Philadelphia before taking over at his father’s practice at Baptist Hospital after his death.

“He was an outstanding physician, a good friend, a good athlete and was just such a fine fellow overall,” said Dr. Richard DeSaussure, a longtime friend and colleague. “He always took good care of the patients I referred to him.”

Dr. Turley practiced at Baptist for 34 years, eventually serving as chief of staff and president of the hospital’s medical staff.

And when he wasn’t practicing medicine, Dr. Turley helped teach up-and-coming doctors at the University of Tennessee as an associate professor of medicine.

“He was a leader and people tended to follow him,” said Lewis Donelson, 89, one of Dr. Turley’s childhood friends. “He was a wonderful doctor and was one of the leaders in the medical society during his years.”

While medicine was Dr. Turley’s passion, the thing he cared about most was his family and his faith, said John Bramlett, 65.

“We were good friends and we always talked about the Lord and shared the Lord together,” he said. “It was very important to him and he always prayed for me and supported my ministry.”

Besides church, Dr. Turley was also active in business and social activities in Memphis. He served on the boards of the National Toddle Houses, the Dobbs Houses and the Southern Society of Urological Surgeons, among others.

Dr. Turley was a Chapel Class member at the Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis.

He leaves his wife of 62 years, Agnes Ming Turley; two daughters, Ann “Sheppie” Turley Quinn and Doris “Dee” Turley Muller; two sons, Hubert King Turley III and Dabney Stedman Turley; six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be in the chapel at Second Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. today. Canale Funeral Home has charge.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be sent to Second Presbyterian Church, the Church Health Center or a charity of the donor’s choice.

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