Memorial gathering to be held in Springfield for Juliana Turchetti

Juliana Turchetti made a big impact on Springfield during her short time in the community.

Springfield residents knew her as the owner of Aviatori Coffeehouse, a café which combined her love of flying and coffee. On July 10, Turchetti, 45, was killed while fighting a fire in Montana. According to an article published the following day in AgAir Update, during the maneuver of water scooping, she lost control of the Fire Boss aircraft she was piloting and perished.

A native of Brazil, Turchetti moved to the U.S. in 2018. She lived in Havana, Illinois, where she and her then-husband, Joe Coppick, both worked as agricultural pilots. The couple also started Aviation Coffee, wholesaling coffee nationwide through an online business, before deciding to take it a step further with a retail location.

In March 2022, the couple purchased the property at 311 N. Logan Ave. from the estate of Tony Leone, who had been remodeling it for use as a café prior to his death. Two months later, it had been transformed into Aviatori Cofeehouse, an aviation-themed coffee shop.

However, Turchetti wrapped up operations in April after accepting new employment based on the west coast, which she said made it too complicated to continue to operate a business in Springfield. Blake Pryor, a commercial broker with Coldwell Banker Commercial Devonshire Realty, currently has the property listed for sale at $225,000.

“She was a neat lady, and it’s just tragic what happened,” said Pryor. “I really enjoyed getting to know her, and I think a lot of other people felt the same way.”

Dalton Ingram, a co-owner of Springfield Carriage Co., was one of those who valued his friendship with Turchetti.

“I met her right as she opened the coffee shop. She was a bright soul – very easy to talk to,” Ingram said.

Ingram said she shared “a lot of pointers on coffee” and taught him her roasting process. He said Turchetti gave him her leftover stock when Aviatori closed. “We’re actually going to be implementing her coffee here (at Springfield Carriage Co.),” he said.

Ingram is also hosting a memorial gathering at Springfield Carriage Co., 724 E. Edwards St., from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.

“I have a lot of her items that she gave me, including her flight suit,” Ingram said. “I’ll have those on display and it will be a gathering for anyone who wants to pay tribute to her.”

Ingram said he also plans to set up an account with a local bank and collect donations to help offset the cost of shipping her remains back to Brazil, where her 17-year-old son and other family members live.