By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — Brayden Turner was as cool as the other side of the pillow.
One of the first times Catey Jensen came to Turner’s house to babysit siblings Gabby and Jonah, the door was locked. Turner had attached a note to the door, which included his cell phone number, that read, “Text me and let me know you’re here.” Jensen texted him, and 15 seconds later, he was opening the door.
Jensen recalls Turner saying something to the effect of, “Haha! Now I have your phone number!” Turner was 11 years old.
Brayden Turner
photo courtesy of Principle Portrait Group
“He was so slick,” Jensen said. “What 11-year-old had moves like that?”
Another time, while out to dinner last year for Gabby and Jensen’s birthdays at Joe’s Italian, Turner got down on one knee while Jensen read his handmade card. He proposed to her with a cross necklace. Slick again. That’s one of Jensen’s favorite memories.
“I had no idea it would be such a precious memory to me that I would cherish for the rest of my life,” she said.
A year ago this Sunday, Sept. 21, Turner was killed in an ATV accident in Trussville’s Carrington subdivision. The Polaris off-road vehicle, occupied by several kids, rolled over on its side, killing Turner. He was a 13-year-old student at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School.
“Brayden was such a joy to teach,” said one of his teachers, Mindy Dennis. “He was always happy, kind and friendly to others. Even when he was no longer in my class, he would always make it a point to come by and say hello. I miss seeing his smiling face at HTMS each day.”
Turner was that kind of person, always respectful and polite.
“Brayden was the best kind of kid there is,” said Jensen, whose tradition when babysitting became making homemade popcorn and milkshakes with Turner. “He was sweet, funny, compassionate and loved everyone. He was so sweet to anyone and welcomed people with open arms. He never met a stranger and had a contagious smile that was impossible to ignore.”
Turner’s mother, Sarah Turner, said her son always had a smile on his face.
“He was always willing to help others and had a very generous heart,” she said. “Brayden was always happy. He was a very loving son and big brother.”
Turner played the spring of 2013 baseball season as a member of the Rangers at the Trussville Sports Complex. He mainly batted eighth in the lineup and played center field. His coach, John Poole, said he’ll never forget when Turner hit his first home run over the fence. His father retrieved the ball and brought it by the dugout to show him. Poole still remembers the smile on Turner’s face.
Turner celebrates a teammate’s home run in a baseball game last year.
submitted photo
“He was always encouraging his teammates and congratulated them when they played well,” Poole said. “When it came time to celebrate a team victory or doing something great, he was always the leader of the celebration. Brayden played for the fun of playing baseball, which is the way it should be. He helped his teammates have a lot of fun.”
Jensen said her last memory of Turner is a sweet one. She went with the Turner family to eat for Jonah’s birthday. Turner rode back home with her, jamming out to Luke Bryan songs and laughing the whole way there. Once inside, they ate cake. When it came time for Jensen to leave, Turner gave her a huge hug and said, “It’ll be too long before I see you again.”
“I remember thinking how silly he was because I was babysitting a few weeks later,” Jensen said. “Then on Sept. 21, I realized it really would be too long before I saw him again.”
Hewitt-Trussville Middle School on Wednesday planted a weeping cherry tree and have an engraved plaque prepared to honor Turner.
Sarah Turner said a lot of her son’s friends and family members expressed their desire to do something to celebrate his life this Sunday, Sept. 21. The Turner family will gather on The Mall in Trussville from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for “B’s Ball at the Mall.” There will be music, food and fellowship.
“We want this gathering to be an uplifting one,” Sarah Turner said. “That’s what Brayden would want.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
