Orhan Ozturk

Orhan Ozturk was born on March 30th, 1958 in Ankara, Turkey. He was the only son and the youngest of three other siblings. He has two older  surviving sisters - Nurhan and Gulhan; his oldest sister Melahat died when she was only three months old.Orhan had fond memories of his childhood.Even when he lived halfway around the world from his birthplace, he never stopped supporting and loving his family.

His father Hasan was his role model. Unfortunately Hasan passed away at the age 70 due to a heart attack. Orhan loved him and kept him in his heart throughout his life. Orhan never grew tired of  passing on the same knowledge and similar life skills that Hasan had taught him when he was a young  man to guide his own son Aydin into the road of success later in life.

At the age of 18, Orhan moved alone to Berlin, Germany for university with barely 50 bucks in his pocket and the ability to speak up to 5 German words.While studying in Berlin he passed the time making lifelong friends playing music in a band and  playing on a volleyball  team.Later on, during his 10 years in Berlin, he met his first wife Sarah. In 1988 they moved to Chicago, USA. After a couple of years together they decided to separate and Orhan moved to San Francisco, USA. 

8 years after they split, Orhan acquired his United States citizenship.Shortly thereafter, Orhan met Sabine, who would become the mother of his child, his soul mate and after 20 years of love, care and happiness - his wife. Soon after moving to SF, Orhan joined an international Volleyball Group that he enjoyed for over 2 decades, where he made many  amazing friends that he cherished for the rest of his life. 

Orhan initially started out as a tour guide and bus driver in San Francisco.That eventually brought him to work for Golden Gate Transit for 19 years.Orhan  formed many wonderful long-lasting friendships during his career as a tour guide,driver, dispatcher and eventually road supervisor.

In 1998, Orhan lost his beloved father Hassan. It was a huge loss for him. He often told his family loving stories about his life and adventures with his father and family in Turkey.

In 2001, Orhan and Sabine welcomed their baby boy whom they named Aydin. Orhan was a wonderful father, inspiration and role model. He was an incredibly dedicated family man who loved his family more than anything. He always put his family above all else; no other issue could surpass the importance of family. He supported Aydin through everything and stood beside him at all times. No one could ask for a better father. 

Orhan would travel with his family extensively in Europe, especially Austria, where Sabine was born, and Turkey. He loved traveling  and sharing  his heritage with his family, and  seeing and learning new things.

He was an avid reader, full of curiosity,  knowledge and always ready to share what he learned.

Early in Aydin's life, Orhan introduced him to his favorite sport, soccer, as well as basketball and volleyball.  They both shared a love for all three sports but soccer was their favorite. Orhan was Aydin's coach throughout Aydin’s earlier years in every sport. He guided Aydin to become the best he could be in every avenue of his life. Many of Aydin’s soccer friends became very fond of Orhan through all his years of coaching, teaching, driving and just supporting them. Orhan was especially appreciated by young  people  for teaching them life lessons. Orhan could go minutes, hours, days trying to teach Aydin and his friends all sorts of sports tactics, life lessons and more.

He created an aura  of trust, love and sense of fathership for anyone and everyone with whom he came in contact. He was also a very good listener, his smiling eyes intently focused on the person speaking to him.  And, he had the amazing skill  of always knowing exactly what to say and when to say it. He had a big  soul and  will always be remembered as a wonderful, kind and entertaining man, role model and father to all. He penetrated everyone’s hearts.  And everyone  whose life he touched is the better for it. 

In 2016 after 20 years of loving each other, having fun together, sharing the vicissitudes of life together, and  raising their beloved son together, Orhan and Sabine decided to tie the knot in Salzburg, Austria. It was the most beautiful day of their lives. 

Later that year Orhan was diagnosed with kidney cancer.  Everything seemed normal for 2 years until late 2018. On January 30, 2019, on Aydin’s 18th birthday, Orhan was diagnosed with metastatic kidney and unrelated pancreatic Cancer.  Nearly a year and a half later, after putting up a fierce fight against cancer,  Orhan passed away on March 29, 2020,  at home with his family around him. He loved life and tried to hang on to it and his family with every fiber in his being, until cancer finally won.

Knowing that his father Hasan would be awaiting him in the afterlife gave him and his family some peace before passing on.

Orhan is survived by his loving mother Sebahat, his sisters Nurhan and Gulhan, cousins, nephews, his heartbroken wife Sabine and their son Aydin and his many friends.

 

Orhan will live on forever in our hearts and souls.

 

LOVE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER DIMS.