WASHINGTON, Conn. – John H. Turner, Professor of Romance Languages Emeritus at Bowdoin College, died peacefully on July 10, 2026, at the home he shared with his wife, Susan Loyd, in Washington, Conn., following several years with both Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

John was born in 1941 in London. His early years were marked by the Blitzkreig bombings of London by Nazi Germany, and by an abundance of overcooked vegetables. 

John earned his undergraduate degree in Scotland, at the University of St. Andrews, where he fell in love with language and literature. In 1964, along with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, he came to the U.S. to complete a master’s degree at Indiana University. He then went on to earn his Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he wrote a book tracing the figure of Icarus throughout Golden Age Spanish poetry.

John joined the Bowdoin College faculty in 1971 and taught there for four decades, becoming a beloved fixture of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. His scholarship ranged from modern Latin American literature, with a particular interest in the work of Julio Cortázar, to the relationship between the early literature of the Spanish New World and that of Spain. In 1999 John helped found the Latin American Studies program, and each year Bowdoin still awards one or two of its students the John Harold Turner award for outstanding scholarship. 

Generations of Bowdoin alums remember John as a demanding but deeply generous teacher — one who pushed them toward fluency and rigor while treating them with warmth and patience. He was known for his good humor, rigorous standards, and an authentic delight in watching young people fall in love with a second language. For many of his students, he became a lifelong friend and mentor.

Beyond the classroom, John greatly enjoyed travel and good food. He was an excellent cook, and fond of bangers with Coleman’s mustard and a proper bubble and squeak. He enjoyed the open road with the radio loud, and delighted in reciting anything of quality from Virgil to Monty Python to the Rolling Stones. John was an avid singer, participating in the Bowdoin Chorus and the Oratorio Chorale, and was an enthusiastic booster and board president of the Portland String Quartet. His passion for music of all kinds was infectious.

Most of all, John cherished his daughter, Annamarie “Mimi” Turner, born in 1980. He was also a profoundly influential father figure to his stepsons Seth and Eli Berry (Bowdoin ‘92), whose lives John impacted in countless ways. 

Upon his retirement from Bowdoin in 2011, John moved to Connecticut but he didn’t stop teaching. He offered courses at the local library on Don Quixote, Latin American short stories and the poetry of World War I. He volunteered with the local English literacy program for immigrants and taught Hispanic Literature to an advanced Spanish student at the school where Susan worked. Never one to sit still for long and always wanting to be helpful, John became actively involved as Co-Chair of the Missions Committee at the First Congregational Church in Washington, Conn. He served meals at the local soup kitchen, collected groceries for the food bank, slept at the local homeless shelter when they needed a chaperone, and ran clothing and toy drives at Christmastime. Wherever John saw a need, he was eager to help out.
 
As he declined, Susan remained his steadfast and loving caretaker to the very end, and the apple of his eye.

John was predeceased by his sister, Jill Turner; and his first wife, Leigh Turner.

He is survived by his wife, Susan Loyd, of Washington, Conn.; his daughter, Mimi Turner and stepsons Seth and Eli Berry, all of Maine; his ex-wife, Sharon; Susan’s daughter Carrie Loyd and son Colin Loyd of Connecticut and Australia, respectively; and step-grandchildren Lisandro, Anibal, Cameron and Kiki; as well as the many students, colleagues, and friends whose lives he shaped over the course of his career.

John’s years of illness were met, as his life had been, with quiet dignity and good humor, and he was surrounded by love in his final days.
 
A first celebration of John’s life will be held Sunday, Aug. 16 at 2 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Washington, Conn. A second celebration will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Bowdoin College Chapel, with a gathering afterwards. RSVPs for each event are optional but appreciated at tinyurl.com/JTmemorials.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor John’s memory consider a gift to their local hospice organization, or to the Missions Committee of the First Congregational Church of Washington Conn.