Whether he was preaching, teaching a class about Jesus to Wilt Chamberlain and Dean Smith or writing a religious column for The Seattle Times, the Rev. Dale Turner remained committed the most to loving others, his friends say.

“He was absolutely the most positive, life-affirming pastor you could ever imagine,” said the Rev. Peter Luckey, senior pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church.

Turner was Plymouth’s senior pastor from 1948 to 1958, when he was a popular Lawrence figure. At age 88, he died Monday at his home in Lake Forest Park, Wash.

After his time in Lawrence, Turner moved with his family to Seattle, where he was senior pastor at University Congregational United Church of Christ until he retired in 1982. Turner also gained fame for his columns in The Seattle Times.

This Sunday, Luckey plans to use his sermon to pay tribute to Turner.

“The gist and theme of it is: Love made me welcome,” Luckey said. “I’m using this theme about the welcoming invitation of love as a way to talk about Dale Turner.”

Luckey and longtime Plymouth church member Cleda Dalton said Turner structured his sermons and his life around, “If we want to know the love of God, we should seek the love of one another.”

After he moved, Turner frequently kept in contact with those he knew from Lawrence. Luckey said he would often send him nice and encouraging letters after they met at conferences.

On Dec. 7, 2003, Turner, then 86, returned to Plymouth to preach as part of the church’s 150th anniversary.

“It was unforgettable,” Luckey said. “Number one, at that age, he got up onto the pulpit, and he didn’t use a note. It was totally from memory and out of his heart. The whole theme of the sermon that day was about savoring our connections with one another.”

“He just was the same as ever,” Dalton said. “It was Christmas time, and we were lucky enough to be asked to light one of the Advent candles. It just felt so good to have him there and have that happen.”

Dalton and her husband, Curtis, helped lead the church’s high school youth group during Turner’s tenure at Plymouth.

Turner was also known for his friendship with legendary Kansas University basketball coach Phog Allen and acting as a chaplain for athletic teams. He also taught a course about the life and teachings of Jesus at KU for nine years.

Growing up, Alan Mulally, chief executive officer of Boeing’s commercial-airplane division, attended Plymouth during Turner’s time as pastor.

“He was a mentor and an inspiration,” Mulally said in Turner’s obituary in Wednesday’s The Seattle Times.

Turner’s wife of 58 years, Leone, survives. A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. June 17 at Turner’s Seattle church.