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Dr. John Turcheneske, Jr.

Dr. John Anthony Turcheneske, Jr. Ph.D., age 76 of River Falls, died peacefully February 12, 2020 at the Kinnic Health and Rehab Center in River Falls. John was born on November 2, 1943 in New Jersey; the son of John Anthony Sr. and Mary Elizabeth (Driscoll) Turcheneske. As a young boy, the family moved to the area where he graduated from Hudson High School prior to receiving the first master’s degree in History from the University of Wisconsin River Falls in 1971. He would complete his education at the University of Arizona where he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1978.

John was a historian and a scholar. He wrote and published a book on Native Americans of the southwest. Being a historian enabled him to teach. He taught at Hudson and Prescott High School and St. Bridget’s Parochial School. John enjoyed classical music and listening to Minnesota Public Radio.

John is preceded in death by his parents and siblings Carol and Robert. He is survived by his special friend Jennifer O’Neill and her family.

Mass of Christian Burial for John will at 3:00 pm, Monday, February 17th at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in River Falls. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Memorials are preferred to Minnesota Public Radio. Funeral services have been entrusted to the O’Connell-Benedict Family Funeral Homes.