Funeral Service held for Deserae Turner

AMALGA, Utah (ABC4) — Today, April 26, friends and family of Deserae Turner said their final goodbyes during funeral and burial services in Cache County.

Turner passed away on April 17 after suffering from health complications after announcing she was going on hospice care just over a week prior. 

In 2017, Turner survived being shot in the head by two teenagers and being left for dead in a canal bed in Cache County. She underwent nearly 50 procedures since the shooting, 16 of which were brain surgeries.

Deserae’s mother, April Turner, spoke about the joy that Deserae found in life, both through horses and her friends. “In school, Deserae was everyone’s friend, and in life, Deserae was everyone’s friend,” she said. “She was tough. Deserae loved very deeply and lived fully,” she added.

April added that despite all of the complications from Deserae’s injuries, it didn’t let it stop her. “She just kept going, and that is how she termed herself: ‘Tougher than a bullet,'” April said.

Deserae’s sisters Lizzie and Maddie also spoke during today’s funeral, talking about her love of music and the joy it brought to her and everyone else. “Des used her music to express her joy, to take her mind off of the hard things, or to help her sleep at night,” Lizzie added. “Des always loved her music.”

Deserae Turner will be buried at Smithfield Cemetery.

A GoFundMe* page has been set up by Deserae’s family to help with the funeral costs and any remaining medical bills. As of this article, it has raised more than $58,000.

*ABC4.com is not affiliated with the online fundraiser or the organizers behind it. While this fundraiser is designated as “donation protected” by GoFundMe, ABC4.com does not guarantee that any funds donated will be used for the person(s) named as beneficiaries of the fundraiser.