As wildfires continued to rage in the West, friends took time this summer to remember a fallen heroine who was a force and presence in their lives in the brief time they knew her.
In Dalton Ingram’s words, his good friend Juliana Turchetti was “the epitome of the American dream mixed with a life dream.” Ingram, owner and operator of Springfield Carriage Co., 724 E. Edwards St., said he met Turchetti shortly before she opened her Springfield coffeehouse.
“She came here from Brazil and did everything she wanted to do … opened up a small business, made it flourish, followed her dreams, never gave up and then got her dream job as a pilot fighting wildfires,” he said. “I just wish she could have enjoyed it and lived out her life.”
Turchetti, 45, perished July 10 while fighting a wildfire in Montana.
In 2018, she moved from Brazil, where she was a licensed pilot, to Havana, Illinois. She and her then-husband worked as agricultural pilots and also started an online business, Aviation Coffee, distributing coffee beans imported from her Brazilian home region. In May 2022, they opened Aviatori Coffeehouse in a 1918-era home at 311 N. Logan Ave. in Springfield. They purchased the property from the estate of the late Tony Leone, who had begun renovating it into a cafe.
Aviatori Coffeehouse specialized in Brazilian coffee and food items and was decorated with aviation memorabilia and eclectic furniture. Turchetti’s close friend Keila Stapleton, owner of Pasta Al Dente by Keila, said, “With all of the antiques and airplane parts inside, the coffeehouse was very unique and cozy. It made you feel happiness, vibrancy. It was amazing, and she made you feel at home.”
Stapleton met Turchetti shortly after she opened the coffeehouse, and they bonded over their ties to Brazil and Italy. “She loved her coffeeshop but wanted to go back to flying and was training for it. This was her dream, and I was happy for her. She had the positivity, loyalty and was an amazing friend and a supersmart woman.”
“She loved everything about flying … being in the sky, especially the quietness,” said Ingram. “Her ultimate goal was to fight fires. There was no in-between (with Juliana). You did it all or you didn’t do it at all. If she had an interest in something, she was going to do her best.”
He recalled meeting her at the Old Capitol Farmers Market, where she shared her enthusiasm for opening the aviation-themed coffeehouse. “She invited me and some others in before it opened. The outside of the building was deceiving but once you got inside, you could see the arches, the planes and other aviation decorations. It was awesome and you could tell she just loved it. Once she opened, she loved to make customers happy.”
As he got to know her better, he learned of her unique accomplishments. “She had been through so much and done so much. She was a contestant on the Brazilian ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire.’ She really loved coffee and missed the kind she had in Brazil. When she and her husband at the time decided to open the coffeehouse, she went the extra steps … to make it the best roast in the area,” Ingram said.
“She would light up talking to people, taking them around to see her flight suit and other artifacts, model airplanes and pieces of planes.”
When offered the aviation firefighter position with Dauntless Air, Turchetti attempted to sell the coffeehouse, but “couldn’t find anyone to take it over the way she wanted, so she shut it down,” said Ingram.
Just months into her dream job and six days after her first firefighting mission, Turchetti was responding to the Horse Gulch wildfire in Helena, Mont. While performing a water scooping maneuver, she lost control of the AT-802F Fire Boss plane which hit a mountainside and landed in a lake, according to reports in the Daily Montanan and AgAir Update, an online magazine for which she had written monthly articles. She was the only occupant of the plane.
Director of the Idaho Department of Lands Dustin Miller called the loss of Turchetti “a heavy blow.” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued a joint statement, reading in part: “Our first responders and wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to quickly respond to threats and protect our communities. It’s a true act of bravery to run toward a fire. We join all Montanans and Idahoans in praying for the fallen hero’s family and friends during this tragic time.”
Dauntless Air released a statement calling Turchetti “an incredible aviator. She blazed trails as one of Brazil’s first female ag pilots. She moved big jets. She was a flight instructor and international ferry pilot. She also owned a small business, studied welding and trained horses. Every person fortunate enough to come across Juliana was embraced with her enthusiasm, kindness and care — whether she knew you for a moment or for a lifetime. You could feel her passion for flying right away; it was infectious. Her belief in our mission to protect people and communities was unwavering.”
Stapleton agrees that her friend was a heroine, but not just because of her aerial firefighting. “She had a lot of courage in whatever she did, as a pilot, as a single mom, immigrant, entrepreneur … what she wanted to do, she did it.”
At a memorial for Turchetti held July 27 at Springfield Carriage Co., her son, sister and friends shared stories and viewed memorabilia including Turchetti’s flight suit, now displayed in a shadowbox designed and donated by David Bourland Gallery of Springfield.
Both Ingram and Stapleton believe the message Turchetti would want to convey is to follow your dreams. “Follow them, no matter what age, just do it,” said Stapleton. “Take that risk. Fall and get up again. Be strong.”
“It’s terrible, the way that life can steal the good ones,” said Ingram. “She wasn’t aware of herself as a force or a presence; she didn’t realize her importance; how special she was. That kind of person only comes along once in a lifetime.”
Shortly before her death, Turchetti wrote on her LinkedIn page: “Some call us heroes. Well, that’s a heavy title to carry. I like to say we are ordinary people doing something extraordinary.”
