In Loving Memory of Thomas “Tom” Harvey Turner.
“Blessed is our Theme”

Tom was born in the family home in Colquitt County, Georgia, on December 7, 1944, to Cecil Cuthbert Turner and Clarice Norman Turner. From an early age, Tom understood the value of hard work. At just 14 years old, he began working on a sharecropper farm, beginning a lifetime defined by determination, ingenuity, and a willingness to work for what he believed in.

After graduating from high school, Tom entered the mobile home industry. By the age of 19, he was supervising a team sewing curtains, making fond memories of those early years. He later worked for Detroit Mobile Homes, which brought him to Alabama before he eventually settled in Bonham, Texas, where he became manager of B&L Manufacturing, overseeing the production of steel frames for mobile homes.

Wanting to remain in Bonham while pursuing a new career, Tom embarked on what would become one of his greatest professional adventures: publishing a newspaper. He launched “The Fannin County Special”, initially balancing the new venture with working the night shift at General Cable. He worked on the newspaper by day and at the cable plant by night until the publication became successful enough for him to dedicate himself to it full time.

About a year into the venture, Tom met Tommie Sue, a Sulphur Springs native, where the newspaper was printed. The two married on Christmas Eve, 1975, and became not only husband and wife but also partners in the newspaper and in life. Together they raised their two daughters, April and Rachel, while building a business that would become an important part of Fannin County history.

Tom and Tommie Sue never forgot the people who supported them during those early years. They remained forever grateful to Travis Currin of Currin's Menswear; Cindy Burnett's father; Ann and Loyd Partain of Ben Franklin Store; Jerry Owens of Owens Lumber Co.; and Harold Ashlock of Ashlock Motors, among many others who believed in them and helped them get started.
One of Tom's most remarkable accomplishments came when the local newspaper closed in October 2002. Because The Fannin County Special was a free publication, existing law did not allow it to serve as the official paper of record for the city, schools, or county. County Judge Lovett approached Tom and asked him to pursue a change in the law.

Tom took on the challenge. He traveled to Austin and worked with State Representative Larry Phillips and State Representative Mark Homer, along with local leaders including Judge Lovett and Bonham Mayor Carl McEachern, to change the law. Their efforts resulted in legislation passed in 2003, making The Fannin County Special the first free publication in the United States eligible to serve as a paper of record.

It was an extraordinary accomplishment that opened doors in the journalism industry. A man from Dallas traveled to Tom's office simply to shake his hand, telling him that Tom had done the impossible. A newspaper owner from Arizona even contacted him and asked him to come to Arizona to “fix” his struggling newspaper. Tom politely declined.

After selling The Fannin County Special in 2005, Tom and Tommie Sue bought a motor home and spent years traveling. Yet people continued to encourage Tom to start another newspaper. Once his noncompete agreement ended, he founded The Fannin County Leader with investors. In 2011, Tom was able to buy back The Fannin County Special, once again making it the paper of record for Fannin County. In 2020, Tom and Tommie Sue sold The Fannin County Leader to its loyal employees and retired.

Tom's commitment to his community extended far beyond journalism. He served on the Bonham ISD School Board during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He served on committees involved in bringing local prisons and the Clyde Cosper Texas State Veterans Home to the area. He worked with David Turner and the Industrial Foundation, which donated $200,000 toward moving the community ball fields to Silo Road.

Tom also served as President of the Bonham Water Authority Board and as Chairman of the Bonham Area Chamber of Commerce. One of his most treasured accomplishments came when County Judge Derrell Hall asked him to work with Dr. Harrison in helping manage the creation of the Multi-Purpose Complex.

In recognition of his many contributions to Bonham and Fannin County, Tom was named the Bonham Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 1999.

In retirement, Tom and Tommie Sue spent 16 years traveling in their motorhome, enjoying new places and making memories together. They also loved camping locally at Lake Bonham.

Above all, Tom cherished time spent with his family. His happiest moments were the gatherings at home, especially holidays filled with laughter, good food, stories, and conversation. Those gatherings, and the love shared around them, are among the greatest parts of the legacy he leaves behind.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Clarice Turner; his sister, Patricia Abbett; his brother-in-law, Gene Abbett; and his granddaughter, Sophia Peterson.

Tom is survived by his cherished wife of 51 years, Tommie Sue, daughter, April Peterson, son-in-law, Kevin Peterson, daughter, Rachel Wright, son-in-law, Aaron Wright, grandsons, Vance Thomas Jacobs, Nicholas Ola Peterson, and granddaughter Aylssa Marie Wright.
Tom Turner will be remembered for his extraordinary work ethic, his entrepreneurial spirit, his determination to make a difference, and his deep commitment to the community he called home. But most of all, he will be remembered as a husband, father, grandfather, and friend who loved his family and treasured the time they spent together.

His legacy lives on in the community he helped shape, the newspapers he built, the people he encouraged, and, most importantly, the family he loved so dearly.

A visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at Boyd Baptist Church, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. A graveside service will take place at 3:00 p.m. at Old Pickton Cemetery, Pickton, Texas. Officiants will be Brother Mike Allred and Brother Mark Posey.

In lieu of flower, a donation may be made to Boyd Baptist Church.

To share a memory, or leave an online condolence, visit www.coopersorrells.com