Kristen Chasteen Permenter only has two voicemails from her son, Jeffrey Turner. If she was able, she always answered his calls.
Like Turner, the voicemails were full of jokes and stories that would make his loved ones smile.
‘Ello, Madre, he said in one voicemail, a mix of accents and languages that emphasized Turner’s humor and a throwback to his stint on the Plant City Entertainment stage in “South Pacific.”
“That was two summers ago,” Permenter said. “The guy playing Stewpot got in a motorcycle accident. Jeffrey was the right size for the costume.”
Despite his knack for making people laugh and his great voice, Turner wasn’t one for standing in the spotlight on stage. He grew up with a love of sports, playing soccer and flag football, and finding adventures in the wilderness.
But if his mother, an actress and director, asked him to perform, he did it without question — from backstage theater tech to filling in a role at a moment’s notice.
“It was all for me,” Permenter said. “It really was. It was all for me.”
Turner, 23, died Friday, June 24, in Hoonah, Alaska.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family for upcoming costs. In addition to funeral expenses, the family must fly extended, out-of-state family in and bring Turner’s remains the 3,859 miles home to Florida. So far, friends and family have donated over $6,000.
“I never even would have thought to set up a GoFundMe account,” Permenter said. “It’s mind-boggling how much
people have donated to my son. I am dumbfounded. I am so blessed.”
In the days following his death, friends and loved ones have reached out to Permenter and her family from all corners of the country to remember the Tampa Bay man with the Alaskan sense of adventure.
Soarin'
Turner was in Alaska for fishing season, which runs from May through September. He worked on the docks at Hoonah Cold Storage as a forklift operator, greeting boat captains as they came to the docks.
After earning his GED, Turner began regularly working the fishing season alongside his best friend and older brother, Justin Turner. The siblings were two years apart and inseparable. Turner split his time equally between Plant City and The Last Frontier.
“He loved Alaska,” Permenter said. “This was his fourth year going with (Justin). I maybe remember them fighting one time in their entire life. I feel doubly sad for my son.”
When the fishing season ended, Turner would return home to Plant City. After leaving the airport, he would immediately head to WestShore Plaza or International Plaza in Tampa to pick up his wardrobe staples: aviator sunglasses and baseball caps.
“He has to get (those) right when he got back from Alaska,” Permenter said. Her son would buy two or three pairs of glasses at a time before eventually losing them. “He loved eyeglasses, Ray-Bans, aviators. … He also loved beanies.”
The only thing that could top his love of style, off-roading in Alaska and being the life of the party was his love for his family.
“He would walk in the room, and the whole room would just light up,” Permenter said. “He was the funniest kid. He never hesitated to kiss me in front of anybody. He made it cool to be a mama’s boy. He loved dancing, being goofy and having fun.”
On his most recent trip back to Florida, Turner had spent the entire stay with his mother and his stepfather, Coy.
“They bonded so well,” Permenter said. “Jeffrey was really close to Coy.”
Permenter said it was the first time Turner, her middle child, didn’t divide his time between his family and friends and girlfriends. The time spent together included a cruise to Cozumel.
“The entire six months he was home he spent with me and Coy,” Permenter said. “I am so thankful we had this last six months together. It was all about me and Coy and (Jeffrey) just growing up.”
At the time of his death, Turner had been in Alaska for about two months. But Permenter, close with her son no matter the miles between them, already had plans for his return.
Permenter works as a reservation specialist for Disney. When guests asked for suggestions about rides and restaurants, she would suggest her kids’ favorites .
“I chaperoned (Turner’s) fifth grade trip to Epcot,” Permenter said. “After everybody else went home, we went on the Soarin’ ride and ate at a Japanese restaurant.”
To date, it’s one of Permenter’s favorite memories of time spent with Turner. Soarin’ closed in January, but debuted with upgrades as Soarin’ Around the World on June 17.
Permenter texted Turner to tell him about the upgrades. They put it at the top of their to-do list for when he came home.
“I said, ‘I can’t wait until you get home,’” Permenter said. “That’s always been our ride.”
She’s grateful for the memories she shared with him.
“I still can’t believe I’m not going to see him again,” she said. “He was my baby.”
Turner is survived by his mother, Kristen Chasteen Permenter (Coy), of Tampa; father, Lloyd (Abigail), of Mulberry; grandmothers, Geri Melanson, of Boston, and Virginia Turner, of Mulberry; siblings, Justin Turner, of Hoonah, Alaska, and Brittney Turner, of Tampa; and grandfather, Robert Melanson (Diane).
A memorial service for Turner will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at Hopewell Funeral Home, 6005 S. County Road 39, Plant City.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.