Edward Lloyd Turley, 70, St. Joseph

April 16, 1952 - September 29, 2022

Edward Lloyd Turley was born in Denver April 16th, 1952 to parents Edward Williams Turley and Valerie Elsy Turley. He showed an interest in the piano at a young age and became active as a pianist in church, school productions and piano competitions. After high school, he began studying piano performance at Colorado School before transferring to Northwestern University in Chicago and receiving his BA in piano performance. Edward holds both the Master and Doctoral Piano Performance degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder and has served on the board of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association as a chairperson for Original Composition and as the College Liaison.

Edward joined the music faculty of the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University in 1981 and has been an active soloist, accompanist, clinician and adjudicator throughout the upper Midwest. In addition to his solo recitals and performances with many regional organizations he has performed in a chamber music capacity with members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and the CSB/SJU faculty chamber music ensemble, PASTICHE. Since coming to the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, he has served as chair of the music department for almost twenty years while teaching applied piano, piano literature, music through history and piano pedagogy. He was committed to developing a special area of interest in teaching courses for the non-major music student. For years, Edward taught for the Sister of St. Francis Music School in Little Falls through a grant. Edward was the recipient of the prestigious Mary Grell Teacher of Distinction Award at CSB in 1996. He loved working with his piano students and many have kept in touch with him after graduating. He had a special ability to mentor other piano teachers and always made time to work with them and their students.

He was known for his collaborative work on several colleagues’ CDs including his wife, mezzo soprano, Carolyn Finley who he met and married in the early 1990s. Other CD projects were with soprano, Patricia Kent, Dale White, trumpet and Richard Dirlam, Saxophone. He loved collaborating on new compositions, most recently with Richard Chandler on his Songs of Addiction based on the poetry of Larry Schug. When he wasn’t performing or teaching, Edward loved running HO and Lionel Scale trains ever since riding the rails while growing up in Colorado. Many residents of Saint Joseph will have fond memories of Edward dressed as Santa Claus and riding the Burlington Northern train into town.

He leaves behind his wife Carolyn Finley, brother-in-law William Walsh, three nephews Sam Walsh, Joe and Jennifer Walsh and family, and William Walsh II.

Preceding him in death were his sister Lydia Walsh and his parents Edward and Valerie Turley.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.