Fund for Nathaniel Turner's family established at Compass Bank

By Patrick Johnston
pjohnston@eufaulatribune.com
Memorial services will be held Friday in Worcester, Mass., for 7-year-old Nathaniel Turner of Eufaula.

Turner died last week in a Massachusetts hospital after he was allegedly beaten by his father, who now faces multiple felony charges. Leslie G. Schuler was arraigned on a murder charge in a Massachusetts court Wednesday.

Turner spent most of his life in Eufaula, but is being buried up north because most of his family is from Massachusetts.

A fund has also been set up for Turner’s family at Compass Bank in Eufaula to help defray funeral expenses.

“They really need help,” said Pastor Steve Montgomery of Grace Independent Baptist Church, where Turner attended. “The service is going to cost them $4,000 plus their expenses for being out of town and out of work for the past week and a half.”

Don Marshall, one of Turner’s Sunday school teachers at Grace Independent, said he was thankful for the local businesses that are allowing the church to place fliers advertising a benefit yard sale for Turner’s family.

“Everybody has been so kind and generous in donating a little space in their store or business,” he said in an email sent to The Tribune.

“I would ask anybody that could to keep the family in your prayers and if possible drop by and donate something to the Nathaniel Turner fund at Compass Bank.”

Pattie Norton said in a comment posted on www.eufaulatribune.com that Turner enjoyed playing with her son, Gabe. He would attend Wednesday evening services with them at Calvary Baptist Church on occasion.

“They climbed trees, watched Cartoon Network or played Bakugan Battle Brawlers. He loved to play Chutes and Ladders and was ecstatic when he beat me,” she said, adding that Turner had a strong spiritual strength for such a young child.

“I believe with all my heart that Nathaniel is in heaven. I hope they have trees for little boys to climb,” she said.

Montgomery said a memorial service for Turner will likely be held in Eufaula, though it is not definite if that service will occur next week.

In an interview with a New England cable channel, Turner’s guardian and grandmother Christine Taylor reportedly said that she had no qualms with Nathaniel spending the summer with his father.

“I don’t know what went wrong in the process,” she said. “I don’t know why. That’s all I want to find out is why. Because he had this tremendous kid in his hands. He had heaven and earth and love. What other father wouldn’t want that baby’s love. I couldn’t imagine it.”