Matthew Thomas Turnley

March 28, 2025

Matthew Thomas Turnley, 27, passed away on March 28th, 2025, after a two-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer. Matt was a loving brother, son, partner, and friend, known for his witty sense of humor, strong work ethic, and dedication to the people he cared for. A former college athlete, he was working towards a Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University where he studied ungulate wildlife biology. He was a world traveler, and in his free time he loved to hike, ski, watch plays and movies, play games, and do trivia. Matt is survived by his parents, Bill and Sabine, brothers JT, Ben (twin), and Michael, sisters-in-law Erika, Karleigh, and Kate, partner Shea Penning, and her parents, Mike and Trudy. A memorial service will be held on April 5th, 2025, at 12:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 612 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS 66502. The memorial service will also be streamed on the church's Facebook page: "First United Methodist Church of Manhattan, KS." We encourage those attending to incorporate color, especially green (his favorite color), into their outfits to symbolize Matt's love for life. Matt requested that a portion of his money be used to start a summer research scholarship at Simpson College. In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to this scholarship. Checks can be mailed to Simpson College Office of Advancement, 701 N C Street, Indianola, IA 50125, noting Matthew Turnley Memorial Fund in the memo section. Gifts can be made online at https://access.simpson.edu/register/gift2annualfund by selecting the "Other" category and typing Matthew Turnley Memorial Fund.