‘A devoted family man and perfect son’

A doting dad-of-five will be remembered as a loveable joker with a bubbly character following his tragic death after collapsing at a supermarket. Former city bus driver David Turner, 35, died while shopping at Sainsbury’s in Herne Bay on Saturday, sparking an outpouring of grief from family and his many friends.

The ex-canterbury High pupil was devoted to his wife and five children - Kadie, Mayzie, Harry, Rubie and Charlie - and was renowned for his positive outlook on life.

Mum Caroline Turner told the Gazette: “We couldn’t have wished for a better son. “He was bubbly, sarcastic and always so happy.

“He will be really missed by everyone who knew him.” David and wife Kymberley met at a New Year’s Eve Party 15 years ago at the Bandstand in Herne Bay.

This proved to be the start of a whirlwind romance, and six weeks later Kymberley was pregnant with their first child, Kadie.

The pair, who married in 2008, had four more children, the

David Turner - pictured his with wife Kymberley and their five children - died after collapsing at Sainsbury’s

youngest of whom is eight, and lived in Talmead Road.

“It was definitely love at first sight,” Kymberley, 33, said. “He was my super glue, my everything. We were with each other every day and we would go everywhere together. “He was a wind-up merchant, jokey and would do anything for his kids.

“Everyone knew him - you’d walk down the street and he’d be off talking to a random person. He’d talk to anyone.”

Born in Canterbury, David spent the first 10 years of his life growing up in the city’s Downs Road.

The former St Stephen’s Junior schoolboy then moved to Broomfield with his parents and sisters, Lisa and Carla, but continued to be educated in the city, later joining Canterbury High. After leaving the secondary, he built a wide-ranging CV which included stints at Right Guard Security and as a chef at the Hungry Horse in Whitstable

and The Plough in Herne Bay. But Caroline says it was his last role, working as a coach driver for Lehane Travel, that brought him most pleasure. “He used to go all over the place with the job to places like Italy, France and Spain for a week at a time. He loved it,” the 59-year-old said.

“He worked for Stagecoach, driving the Triangle route, and National Express before that. “If he wanted a job, he would work his way into it somehow.”

Having had high blood pressure since childhood, David suffered from a heart attack at the age of 29 and was forced to stop working due to ill-health. “He told me he had chest pains on the way back from a holiday,” Caroline continued. “A day or two later, he had a big heart attack.

“They fitted two stents and then he couldn’t go back to work because the doctors found out he also had damaged kidneys – sooner or later he would have had to go on dialysis.

“He was never one to sit there and start feeling sorry for himself. Even when he was ill, he was still smiling for his children.”

Last Thursday, David started complaining of chest pains after his car was driven into. He went to the QEQM Hospital and was later discharged by medics.

But just before 12.15pm on Saturday, he fell to the ground after again suffering pain in chest while he and Kymberley were shopping for groceries. “We were out at Sainsbury’s just to get some shopping,” she said.

“He said he had a chest pain and then he collapsed. When I saw they were doing CPR, I went outside.” Paramedics, an air ambulance and two police cars were called to the store shortly afterwards. But despite their best efforts, David was pronounced dead at the scene.

His funeral will take place on December 2.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the service will only be attended by close family - but friends are being urged to line Talmead Road at 9.30am and release a balloon to pay their respects.