Former nurse and proud Hessle Roader, Pat, has sadly died at the age of 80
Karl Turner winning Hull East for Labour in 2024(Image: Donna Clifford/HullLive)
East Hull MP Karl Turner has paid a moving tribute to his mother following her sad death. The MP posted a message on social media headed “Personal Announcement”.
Mr Turner said: “It is with the deepest sadness that I announce the death of my beloved mother, Patricia (Pat) Susan Turner (née Hazel), who was born on 23 December 1945. Mam was a lifelong member of the Labour Party.
“She joined as a young woman and never wavered in her socialist beliefs. She was immensely proud to be a trade unionist serving as a shop steward, dedicating much of her life to standing up for working people and public sector workers.
“Pat worked as a nurse at Kingston General Hospital in Hull before becoming a district nurse based at Morrill Street Health Centre in east Hull. Nursing wasn’t just her job, it was her calling.
“She cared deeply about her patients, and they cared deeply about her. To many, she became far more than a nurse; she became a trusted friend who was there for families through some of the happiest and hardest moments of their lives.
“Mam never forgot where she came from. Born in Hull on the Hessle Road. Mam was proud of her working-class roots and wanted her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to have opportunities that many people of her generation never had.
“Fairness, justice and equality weren’t just words to her; they were values she lived by every day. She believed ordinary people were strongest when they stood together and looked after one another.
“She lived by the principle, ‘From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs’. She was, without apology, a socialist, a trade unionist and a feminist, and she wore those labels with pride.”
Mr Turner said his mother took “enormous pride” in the causes he fought for in politics. “She strongly supported my opposition to the curtailment of trial by jury from the very beginning and always encouraged me to stand up for what I believed was right, whatever the personal or political consequences,” he said. “Whenever things became difficult, she would remind me that doing the right thing, without fear or favour, was always worth it if it protected those that needed to be defended.
“Mam strongly believed that any weakening of the right to trial by jury would hurt those who already faced discrimination and disadvantage. Her belief in that principle strengthened my own resolve when enormous pressure was placed upon me to back down.
“I regret that I never got the chance to tell her that the process to restore the Labour whip had been completed before she passed away. I know she would have been pleased to see that chapter finally come to an end.
“Above everything else, Mam’s greatest love was her family. She was the devoted mother of Craig, who sadly predeceased her, Colin and me; a much-loved mother-in-law to Beckie and Leanne; a proud grandmother to Craig, James, the late Mathew, my dear nephew who tragically took his own life after battling poor mental health, Olivia, Jack and my daughter, Stella. Loving great-grandmother to Chloe, Kady, Matthew, Ethan, Toby, Isabella and Willow.
“To me, though, mam was so much more than any of those titles. Mam was my closest friend, my greatest teacher and my hero.
“So much of the person I have become is because of her. Her courage, compassion, sharp and often dry humour, her unwavering sense of justice all shaped my values and continue to guide me every single day. I will miss her for the rest of my life, but I will do everything I can to pass on the lessons she taught me to my own daughter.
“Mam was fearless. She often reminded me of something my late father, Ken, used to say: ‘If you fight, you won’t always win, but if you don’t fight, you will always lose.’
“She also taught us that we could become anything we wanted in life, but never to forget our friends on the way up because we might need them on the way back down. Thank you, Mam, for everything you gave me, for shaping my politics, for teaching me right from wrong, for giving me the courage to stand by my convictions and for always believing in me, even when I doubted myself.
“Rest in peace, Mam. You were one of a kind.”
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