TURNBULL
(Benninghofen),
Christine
Christine Turnbull passed away March 6, 2022, at age 97 in Cary, North Carolina. Known to her many friends as Chrissy, she was born to Paul and Freda (nee Scheibert) Benninghofen in Hamilton, Ohio, on September 12, 1924. She was a devoted wife, a kind, loving mother, a talented artist and a gifted gardener who spent most of her adult life in Toledo, Ohio. Her parents pre-deceased her, as did her husband of 58 years, William Turnbull (2008), and her older sisters Eleanor
Skyllingstad (2009) and Margaret Suter (2018). She is survived by her four sons Peter (Zoe) of San Francisco, CA, Dan (Sally) of Raleigh, NC, Jeff (Lee Ellen) of Hilton Head Island, SC, and Andy (Vanessa) of Littleton, CO, together with ten grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and their families.
Chrissy graduated from Indiana University in 1946, where she was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority. Chrissy married her husband, Bill, on May 19, 1950, at her family home in
Hamilton. Although they did not become acquainted as adults until after Bill returned from his service in WWII, the couple grew up literally a block apart in Hamilton.
In Toledo, Chrissy was for decades an active member of the Corey Woods Garden Club and the Athena Art Society. Her backyard garden always sparkled with visual delight. She
actively participated in the rich educational offerings of the Toledo Museum of Art, which she likewise supported
philanthropically. Her children each proudly display in their own homes many drawings and paintings she produced over the years. Chrissy was a strong supporter of the Toledo Zoo, The Salvation Army, The Nature Conservancy, the YMCA and other charitable organizations. Together with other members of the Benninghofen family, she supported the Butler County Historical Society in her hometown of Hamilton.
Chrissy and Bill were great travel enthusiasts, visiting the Caribbean, Europe, United Kingdom, Africa, South America, the Near East and Asia, each on multiple occasions. Starting in the 1980s, they took extended winter trips first to Maui, and then later to south Florida. They often visited their sons and families from the Carolinas to the Rocky Mountains to California. They enjoyed extended boating trips on Lake Erie and the Great Lakes, and even motored their 41' Hatteras across the Great Lakes, through the Erie Canal, down the Hudson River, and through the intercoastal waterway all the way to Key West, Florida.
Chrissy moved to the Searstone retirement center in Cary in 2014, residing most recently in the Brittany Place skilled nursing facility. The family particularly wishes to thank Liz Avery at Brittany Place, who proved invaluable as a care provider and coordinator. The family is organizing a memorial celebration of Chrissy's life later this spring in her hometown of Hamilton. Contributions honoring Chrissy's life may be made to any of her favored organizations noted, or to any charity of your choice. Condolences may be shared at
TURNBULL, Christine
