Wood Dale mourns loss of popular fitness instructor, crossing guard

Sue Turco was a ball of energy, and she used that energy to help a lot of people.

"She always was three steps ahead of everyone," Wood Dale Park District recreation services director Kristina Sromek said Wednesday of the popular exercise instructor.

"She was all over the place," said friend and business partner Vicki LaVoie, describing Turco's work as a crossing guard, an exercise instructor and a beautician, on top of being a wife, mother and grandmother. "She was good at that. She loved being busy."

They and many others are mourning the death of Turco, who was killed Sunday in a car crash in Bensenville. She was 59.

The crash happened shortly before 11 a.m. at Bryn Mawr Avenue and Route 83.

Turco, who had been stopped at a stop sign on Bryn Mawr, pulled into the intersection and was hit by another vehicle. Bensenville police say the other motorist was driving around 80 mph, twice the speed limit.

LaVoie said Turco was a lifelong resident of Wood Dale. The two became friends 12 or 13 years ago, she said, meeting when Turco did LaVoie's sister's hair.

Turco saw hundreds of clients in her home-based beautician business. "I think she did all of Wood Dale," LaVoie said.

Turco also worked as a crossing guard for Wood Dale Elementary District 7

LaVoie and Turco established Wood Dale PiYo and Spin and took to teaching exercise classes in various venues, such as "PiYo and Pinot" classes at Lynfred Winery in Roselle.

"That was a blast," LaVoie said.

LaVoie described Turco taking meals to sick people or going to elderly people's homes to cut their hair

"You could not meet anyone better. She loved everybody," LaVoie said.

Turco was especially passionate about fitness.

"She literally was the heart and soul of the community and the park district," Sromek said.

Turco taught Pilates, barre, yoga, spin, Bike Fit Fight, boot camp and other classes there for more than 20 years. She was also the leader of the district's teams in the Daily Herald's annual The Fittest Loser community-challenge contest.

"She was passionate - passionate - about what she was doing to help people lead a healthy life," park district executive director Matthew Ellmann said, describing how Turco was always trying to figure out ways to get people excited about that. "She deeply cared to help people and help people be healthy."