Dale Turner, who became Livermore's first directly elected mayor more than 40 years ago, died recently at his home in New Mexico. He was 85.

"My stepmom Sabina Turner, my sister Heather Bateson and I were with him when he passed from this life," Turner's son Christian Turner told Livermore Vine. "An Air Force veteran, a soccer coach, an amazing banker, realtor, park director, city council member, and mayor. We all lost a great person that day," he added.

Turner had been battling Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia since the mid-2010s, according to a GoFundMe page created in his honor. His wife was his full-time caregiver for the past five years.

Prior to his election in 1982, the mayoral seat was appointed by fellow council members and rotated every two years. While Turner's last term as Livermore mayor ended in 1989, he was affectionately known as "Mr. Mayor" by many for a number of years thereafter. The city's flags flew at half-staff the week following his death.

"I was very sorry to hear of the passing of former Mayor Dale Turner," said current Livermore Mayor John Marchand. "He was a long-time community servant and Livermore's first directly elected Mayor. While I did not have the opportunity to serve with him on the Council, I appreciate that he took the time and made the effort to serve our community."

Several years after his tenure on the council, Turner served on the board of the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District for about six years. He resigned from the board in 2007 to move to Gold Country, which had better air quality for his wife's health.

"His decision to enter politics was driven by his love for Livermore and his desire to support the people he cared about," Bateson said of her father.

Christian Turner echoed similar sentiments, adding that his dad "loved Livermore with all his heart."

Both Bateson and Christian Turner shared that their father was known by others for his generosity and kindness.

"Growing up, my dad and I would go to the grocery store to pick up food -- whenever people were in line and did not have enough money to pay for all of their groceries, he would open his wallet and pay the difference so that they would not have to choose what groceries went back," Christian Turner said.

"He did this because he genuinely loved the people of our community and helped whenever he could. This left an everlasting impression on how caring and compassionate we can be to one another. This is something I will never forget," he added.

Bateson spoke of how he showed compassion to his clients in his professional life.

"He had a gift of connecting with people and seeing the best in them, which is evident in his successful careers as a banker and a real estate agent. To this day, people still come up to me and share how my dad helped them when no one else would," she said, adding that her dad assisted people who were struggling to get approved for loans.

"My dad was that kind of guy -- always willing to help and forever seeing the good in people," she said. "My dad did not hold grudges and had a gift of putting people at ease. He led with a smile and a handshake and he truly cared."

Long before planting roots in Livermore, Turner was born in New York in 1937 and lived there until his family moved to California when he was in high school, according to an online obituary posted by his family.

After graduating from high school, he served in the Air Force in the late 1950s. He was primarily stationed in Guam. Upon leaving the military, he returned to California and eventually settled in Livermore.

Turner died on Jan. 15. He is survived by his wife Sabina Turner, son Christian Turner, daughters Bateson and Kerri Jung and their families.

A celebration of life service is set for 1 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Cedar Grove Church in Livermore. The service will also be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person. Turner's committal service will be a private event for his family.