Priscilla Dickson Turnbull
North Andover, MA — Priscilla D. Turnbull, 98, a resident of Edgewood in North Andover, MA, and loving wife of the late Charles H. Turnbull, died surrounded by her family on April 24, 2026.
Born in Orange, New Jersey on May 26, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Charles Hugh and Hazle Benedict Dickson. Priscilla grew up in Orange and attended The Beard School, Class of ’46, (now Morristown Beard School) and Bennett Junior College in Millbrook, NY.
She was an active equestrian in her youth, performing with The Montclair Troop and teaching riding at her beloved Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks in the summers.
After working at The Day Nursery and Wiss & Co., Priscilla met Charlie Turnbull and they married on May 12, 1951. They raised their family in South Orange, NJ and moved to Connecticut in 1970, living in Old Lyme for decades, punctuated by year-long stays in Vienna, Austria and St. Louis. Twenty years ago, they moved to nearby Niantic, and upon the passing of Charlie and the onset of the pandemic, Priscilla moved to Massachusetts to live with her son and loving daughter-in-law before moving to North Andover.
She was a very competitive tennis and paddle tennis player, honing her game at Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, and later at Old Lyme Country Club. She was an avid antique collector and trader who had a good eye for both value and quality. Similarly, she was a lifelong student of the stock market, and her insights and instincts enabled her to consistently identify good opportunities. She was skilled in organizing activities and undertaking projects of all varieties. And who can even remember how many children’s sweaters she knitted for gifts over the years or how many rugs she hooked! Blessed with a heavy dose of common sense, wisdom and grace, supplemented with a good sense of humor, people would seek out Priscilla’s company. She loved outdoor activities, being with her friends and family, traveling and spending summers at the family cottage in Smiths Cove, Nova Scotia. First and foremost, Priscilla was a devoted wife, parent, daughter, grandmother, sister and friend, always thinking of – and taking care of – others ahead of herself.
She will be deeply missed by her three children and their spouses: Linda Turnbull Hanson of Anacortes, Washington, David Turnbull (Suzie) of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, and Wendy Turnbull Perry (Ray) of Jamestown, Rhode Island; her seven grandchildren: Laura, Lindsay, Elizabeth, Douglas, Emily, Caroline and Amy; her sixteen great-grandchildren (nine of whom lived nearby and whose frequent and loving visits never ceased to captivate and enchant her); and finally, her caring and loving family of staff, friends and caregivers who added immeasurably to the quality of her life during her final years at Edgewood.
A burial and memorial gathering in her memory will be held in Nova Scotia.