Sharlinda Beach Turner
Sharlinda Beach Turner, MD, 63, a resident of Harrison, Tennessee, died suddenly Saturday evening, March 28, 2015, at her home.
Dr. Turner was the daughter of the late Dr. Lois Underwood Beach and Dr. Charles R. Beach. Former husband and father of her children, Jerry D. Turner, preceded her in death.
Dr. Turner graduated summa cum laude from Lee College in 1973. She attained her medical doctorate degree at the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 1976. In 1988, she earned her master's of Public Health, Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Sharlinda was a gifted physician and advocate for public health and public health policy in Georgia and Tennessee. She served as the associate director of Clinical Services and Research at Plough, Inc. in Memphis.
Upon marrying Jerry, she returned to Chattanooga in 1979, where she served as director of Medical Services at Team Evaluation Center. In 1981, she began her career at the Chattanooga Hamilton County Health Department as a health officer. In 1983, she became the director of the Southeast Regional Office of the Tennessee Department of Health, serving there until 1989.
In 1996, she began her longest and most significant career at Parkridge Valley Hospital of Chattanooga, as a pediatric and medical physician and as liaison to executive administration. Additionally, she was a co-medical director with the Southeast Center of Excellence (SECOE). She held these positions until her death.
Dr. Turner was an inspirational, caring and sweet individual and an outstanding mother and daughter. She spent nearly 45 years passionately serving children and the less fortunate through her medical training; however, her primary love was her family – her daughters, son-in-law and new granddaughter were the center of her happiness.
Survivors include her daughters, Cynthia (Cindy) Turner Shusterman, and Christa Marie Turner, both of San Francisco, and Cindy’s husband, Tyler Shusterman, and granddaughter, Estella Mae Shusterman. Her dear friends Dr. Susan K. McGuire, and Nancy Toth, of Ooltewah also survive. Numerous Underwood and Beach family members survive her.
A celebration of life service will be conducted at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, in the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow in the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens.
Visit www.heritagefh.com to share your condolences and your memories with Sharlinda’s family.
The family request in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Lee University Lois Underwood Beach Science Scholarship or to the Charles and Lois Beach Choral Music Scholarship, C/O Lee University Central Gifts, P. O. Box 3450, Cleveland, Tennessee 37320-3450. Additionally, donations may be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in memory of Dr. Sharlinda Turner.
The family will receive friends from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421.