BY ELLIE FEUERSTEIN, Freshman
The Love for Her Father
BLYTHEWOOD-- Ellie Turner is a honor roll student who works hard, but sometimes loving memories of Blythewood High go through Ellie Turner’s mind when thinking of her deceased father.
Chef Turner who was the culinary arts instructor at Blythewood High, was fighting a battle with cancer.
His youngest daughter, Ellie Turner is today, a sophomore at Blythewood High School.
Blythewood wanted to show support for Chef Turner and his family including Ellie by creating an organization called “Team Chef.”
“It really helped me through the whole situation, and everyone supported my dad and supported me with anything I needed,” Turner said.
The Team Chef organization was a fundraiser that supported Chef Turner and his family.
“It supported my dad through his cancer situation when he was sick, and it basically showed all the support that he had,” Turner said.
With the help from Blythewood, the Team Chef organization raised over $10,000 for him and his family.
“It surprised me how much money we raised and how many people showed up at the functions,” Turner said.
After facing a long battle, Chef Turner passed away on February 2, 2014.
“I think about how much worse my life could be and how many things I do have in life that are positive, and I think about my friends and how many good things are in my life,” Turner said.
When coping with the loss of her father, Turner gets support from her family and friends
“My friends, my family, and definitely my therapist have helped me a lot when needing to talk to someone,” Turner said.
When dealing with the loss of her father, Turner shows strength and courage everyday.
“The fact that she can get up and go every morning especially after everything that she has been through amazes me. She has a right to be bitter, but she never is...ever,” her friend, Erin Cooper said.
Since Chef Turner and “Team Chef” were a household name for most of Blythewood, Ellie has been treated differently in situations.
“I wish that people wouldn’t treat me differently because of having a big loss, and that I’m still a normal person and I’m stronger now because of everything I've been through,” Turner said.
With the love for Chef and his family, Blythewood helped by giving support and love.
“They have understood days and times when I needed to be out of classroom because of how upset I get and they understand that I’m where my dad used to work so a bunch of things sometimes remind me of him. They just understand my situation,” Turner said.
Goals and Dreams
It has been almost two years since Ellie lost her father and today she shares her goals and dreams for herself.
“I have realized my life is not over and that I do have things to live for,” Turner said.
Turner is involved with the Blythewood student council and is interested in joining the Blythewood Teen Republicans club. She also enjoys to shop, cook and babysit.
“My dad taught me how to be professional in situations and to have a good work ethic,” Turner said.
She enjoys being a part of Blythewood High with the close community it holds.
“I like how everyone is connected and how close knit this entire school is,” Turner said.
Turner plans to graduate high school and complete at least four years of college. She plans to get into college by getting good grades and being motivated by what she wants in life.
“School teaches me what i'm going to need in college and it gives me a good idea of what I want to be when I grow up,” Turner said.
Turner's dream job is to be a makeup artist.
“I think she will be a professional makeup artist, and she will be successful and happy,” Cooper said.
Turner finds it challenging to keep up with school, social life, sleep and the big loss in her life. It was a big struggle last year, but Ellie has found a way to keep her priorities together.
“I think of how proud my dad would be with my school, and I think about what he would tell me to do,” Turner said.
Turner is someone who everyone looks up to with her strength and character.
“Ellie is generally pretty happy about everything,” teacher and friend, Rusty Curry said.
Through all her struggles, Ellie never lets anyone or anything hold her back from being who she is.
“It takes a lot of strength to put yourself out there and Ellie does just that,” teacher and friend Fletcher Spigner said.
Turner has shared her story and who she is. She doesn’t care what people think about her because she knows who she is and who she wants to be.
“She stands out because she doesn’t care what people think about her, she is just very herself,” Cooper said.
Turner is a very humble person who cares about people and things around her.
“She is always on everyone's side, she always has your back. She treats people the way she wants to be treated,” Cooper said.
Turner is a person who has been through tragedy and loss, yet she is always smiling and brightens everyone's day. She is a good person who tries her best everyday.
“Ellie is a good person, very good person,” Spigner said.
Ellie Turner is strong, independent girl who has lived through great tragedy. Even with the loss of her father, she has assembled herself to succeed in life.
With the hard challenges in life, Ellie has overcome the loss of her father and has worked hard to be a hardworking honor roll student.
