A fine sendoff for a dedicated public servant.
Sylvester Turner
Sylvester Turner represented Houston on a national stage for decades as a state representative, mayor and congressman, but on Tuesday he was “Uncle Sylvester.”
Turner received one of Houston’s highest honors Tuesday as his body lay in state in the rotunda of City Hall. Hundreds gathered in the morning to pay their respects, remembering him for his laugh, his devotion to God and an ability to make everyone feel welcome.
“I wanted to give my respects to a man who devoted his life to the city, to the world,” said Rhondreka Hughes, a Third Ward resident. “He loved Houston. We loved him.”
Mayor John Whitmire welcomed the crowd of elected officials, Turner’s fraternity brothers, city employees and friends to City Hall just after 9 a.m., where a line of people wrapped around the side of the building. An honor guard led visitors into the rotunda to the sounds of a string quartet, where Turner’s casket lay wrapped in an American flag.
“Sylvester knew each and every community, and he treated everyone with equality, inclusion. That’s what made him really special,” Whitmire said. “He brought that message across not only our great city but our great state.”
As visitors left the rotunda, some friends and colleagues embraced and shared tears. Others laughed over shared memories of Turner. His fraternity brothers joined together for a photo in front of City Hall.
Turner represented Houston in public office for 35 years as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Houston mayor and, until his death, a freshman member of Congress. He died March 5 in Washington, D.C. from “enduring health complications.” He was 70.
He was treated for bone cancer in his second term as mayor, but said during his congressional campaign last year that he largely had recovered from the disease.
His congressional predecessor, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, was the last person to lay in state in the City Hall rotunda. Turner endorsed her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, in a special election to fill her mother’s seat. Lee Carter attended the service in Turner’s honor Tuesday.
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Voters elected Turner to represent the 18th Congressional District last November in a landslide after Jackson-Lee’s death. He said at the time he aimed to serve a maximum of two terms before passing the seat to a younger generation.
“Hard worker, smart worker, I mean to the end he was in DC serving the people,” Hughes said. She remembered Turner as a generous, selfless and dedicated public servant. He also was down to earth, she said, adding she and her friends would affectionately call him “Uncle Sylvester” when they saw him hit the dance floor.
“He’s going to be missed, especially people who are good natured with a good heart who just want the best for everyone,” Hughes said.
He will be missed. We await word when we will be able to elect a successor. Until then, we remember Sylvester Turner and thank him for all he did while he was with us. The Chron has more.