‘Passion to help.’ Belmont Mayor Richard Turner dies after suffering stroke

Richard Turner, Belmont’s mayor who served the city for over a decade, died on Wednesday. He was 62.

Turner had been a Belmont resident for 22 years. Before he began his term as mayor last year, he served on city council, the planning and zoning board and parks and recreation advisory board.

“Richard was a man of strong faith, he was a loving husband and father and a friend to all,” his wife Marie said in a Facebook post on Thursday morning. “He absolutely loved Belmont with all his heart and with the strongest passion to help and serve this city always.”

In the post, Marie said her husband died after suffering a stroke caused by complications in gallbladder and pancreas surgeries.

Even though he was in horrible pain in the hospital, he was still answering emails, texts and voicemails from Belmont residents and watching online council meetings, Marie said.

During his public service, Turner was recognized for his commitment to finding balance between preserving Belmont’s historic homes and the need for growth. He served on the metropolitan planning organization for Gaston, Cleveland and Lincoln counties, which plans transportation projects. He also pioneered the plan for a city park on Brook Street.

Turner served as the president and vice president for the Belmont Central Elementary PTO, where he spearheaded a grant application that brought new playground equipment to the school.

“I thought he did a tremendous job of balancing both preserving our past as well as planning for our future,” Council member Jason Rumfelt told The Observer.

He said Turner always took great pride in serving his community and could gracefully handle difficulties that came with being in politics.

“The gift that he had was he was always willing to engage with anyone and everyone and get their viewpoints on things in very level-headed, classy way.”

He said Turner was willing to engage with anyone, including those with different viewpoints.

In a reply to Marie’s post, Belmont council member Charlie Hill said Turner embodied the best things about Belmont.

“Thank you for all your leadership, and more importantly, thank you so much for your friendship!” he said in the post. “You were a great mentor to me!”

Turner is survived by his wife Marie and three children. Information about funeral arrangements has not been announced.