Sylvester Turner represented Houston on a national stage for decades as a state representative, mayor and congressman, but on Tuesday he was “Uncle Sylvester.”
Turner received one of Houston’s highest honors Tuesday as his body lay in state in the rotunda of City Hall. Hundreds gathered in the morning to pay their respects, remembering him for his laugh, his devotion to God and an ability to make everyone feel welcome.
“He did things for everybody, not just for our community, not just for Houston, but worldwide,” said Ruby Bennett, a lifelong Acres Homes resident. “When you find somebody that compassionate that looks for the welfare of others before even looking for themselves, you can’t help but be thankful to God that he sent us somebody like that.”
Mayor John Whitmire welcomed the crowd of elected officials, Turner’s fraternity brothers, city employees and friends to City Hall just after 9 a.m., where a line of people wrapped around the side of the building. An honor guard led visitors into the rotunda to the sounds of a string quartet, where Turner’s casket lay wrapped in an American flag.
“Sylvester knew each and every community, and he treated everyone with equality, inclusion. That’s what made him really special,” Whitmire said. “He brought that message across not only our great city but our great state.”
As visitors left the rotunda, some friends and colleagues embraced and shared tears. Others laughed over shared memories of Turner. His fraternity brothers joined together for a photo in front of City Hall.
Visitors steadily continued through the early afternoon, individually or in small groups, some saying they waited specifically for the crowd to dissipate.
Turner represented Houston in public office for 35 years as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Houston mayor and, until his death, a freshman member of Congress. He died March 5 in Washington, D.C. from “enduring health complications.” He was 70.
He was treated for bone cancer in his second term as mayor, but said during his congressional campaign last year that he largely had recovered from the disease.
“He really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, and he did,” said Cindy Clifford, a friend of Turner’s for more than a decade. “He showed up to people’s small gatherings, he showed up to big important gatherings. He showed up to serve food. He showed up to almost everything, and now today people are showing up for him.”
His congressional predecessor, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, was the last person to lay in state in City Hall. Turner endorsed her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, in a special election to fill her mother’s seat. Lee Carter attended the service in Turner’s honor Tuesday.
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Voters elected Turner to represent the 18th Congressional District last November in a landslide after Jackson-Lee’s death. He said at the time he aimed to serve a maximum of two terms before passing the seat to a younger generation.
“Hard worker, smart worker, I mean to the end he was in DC serving the people,” said Rhondreka Hughes, a Third Ward resident. She remembered Turner as a generous, selfless and dedicated public servant. He also was down to earth, she said, adding she and her friends would affectionately call him “Uncle Sylvester” when they saw him hit the dance floor.
“He’s going to be missed, especially people who are good natured with a good heart who just want the best for everyone,” Hughes said.
A welcoming force
Turner became a political powerhouse during his time across government offices, but he was known for his dedication to his neighbors and constituents.
Ruby and Carolyn Bennett, sisters who have known Turner their whole lives, said unlike other politicians, Turner never forgot his home community.
They said he helped raise money for a local park when the city budget could not afford it; he attended their church’s Black History Month program annually; and he inspired the youth of their neighborhood to chase their dreams like he did.
“He treated people with respect,” Ruby Bennett said. “He treated people the way he wanted to be treated, not the way people treated him.”
Jo Roberts had known of Turner for years before he became mayor in 2016, and he was “everything (she) expected” when she met him during his first term.
Her daughter, Christi Roberts, wrote him a letter about how she and her friends sponsored a deaf horse in the Houston Police Department mounted unit. The story turned into a book, and Christi wanted to know if Turner could have it stocked in the Houston Public Library.
She never expected to hear from him directly, but he invited the group to his office in City Hall. He always remembered Christi when he saw her in the years that followed, her mother said.
“He always portrayed himself as being kind and respectful, and that’s just what he was,” Jo Roberts said. “He’s a kind, respectful gentleman who happened to be a mayor.”
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Gayle Washington lived near Turner’s mother in Acres Home. She never knew Turner personally but watched him represent their shared neighborhood for decades and was one of the first people in line to say goodbye Tuesday.
When he spoke to a crowd, she said “it was like he was talking to me one on one.”
His skills as an orator transferred from the Texas House to his home church, said Candice Richmond, Turner’s fellow parishioner at The Church Without Walls. She came to City Hall Monday with members of Turner’s fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
It was easy to walk up and start a conversation with Turner, Richmond said. He was a dedicated part of the congregation and never expected any fanfare.
“Every time he got up there (on stage), we were just mesmerized by the encouragement that he poured into us to carry the fight,” Richmond said. “Everything he gave us, and everything he told us, we’ll carry that torch on in his memory.”
Turner was a “beacon of light” for young people, said Kalvin Kosha, who knew Turner and Jackson Lee through his great-great-great grandfather. Kosha did not get to attend the remembrance ceremony for Jackson Lee, so he made sure to be there for Turner, he said.
Turner reminded Kosha that all voices, regardless of politics, mattered, he said.
“For the generation coming up seeing him to know that listen, you can do whatever it is that you want to do, and you definitely have a role to play irregardless of what others may think if you’re passionate about who you are, where you come from and the job that needs to get done, then that’s on you to do it,” Kosha said. “He always made sure that he brought that encouragement and that wisdom wherever he went.”
Turner will lie in honor in the Texas State Capitol, where he spent 27 years as a legislator, Wednesday and Thursday.
His funeral will be Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Church Without Walls. Turner’s family asked for attendees to RSVP online ahead of the funeral. The service will also be livestreamed on the church’s website.
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