KNOX, Pa. (EYT) — After nearly two decades in office, Magisterial District Judge Amy Long Turk is looking forward to her retirement, but she is also planning to stay involved as a senior judge.

Turk, a Knox area native who graduated from Keystone High School and then attended college in Buffalo, New York, has served as Magisterial District Judge in Clarion County’s District Court 18-3-03 since 2001. The jurisdiction spans Ashland, Beaver, Elk, Richland, and Salem Townships, and Knox, Shippenville, St. Petersburg, and Foxburg Boroughs.

Law was not Judge Turk’s original profession, as she initially worked in the field of dentistry for 25 years prior to being elected to the position of district judge.

“My first husband was the district justice at the time. He developed multiple myeloma and died, and when he passed away, I was encouraged by some people to run for the office,” Turk told exploreClarion.com.

While she was uncertain about her chances at the time, she decided to go forward with the petition process to enter the primaries, and leave the rest in the hands of a higher power.

“I said ‘God, if I’m supposed to do this, you’re going to have to help me.'”

Whether through divine intervention or simply the support of the people around her, that help she requested did come, and not only was her petition successful, she won the primary election by a wide margin and was soon preparing to take on her new role.

“It was certainly different. It was exciting, but it was scary. It was all happening so fast, but I had Dan George, and Tony Lapinto, and Norm Heasley who were all very helpful. There have just been a lot of people over the years that I’ve relied on.”

While she had some awareness of what to expect from the years her late husband had held the position, she still had a lot to learn, according to Turk.

“You have no real clue about what’s really involved with everything and what goes into making a decision until you actually do it. It was all brand new to me.”

However, between the training she went through and the people she had to rely on, things began to fall into place, and she found herself settling into the position that she would end up holding for 18 years.

During those years, she has presided over hearings for a wide variety of cases, ranging from a man caught driving under the influence in his underwear up to several criminal homicides.

“There have been so many different cases over the years, and there have also been a lot of good things that have happened over the years, and people that I feel I’ve been able to help,” she noted.

“There were also some decisions that I really didn’t like to make, but had to make, just because of how the laws are. I hope people in those cases understood they weren’t really being punished so much as being held responsible for their actions.”

She said one of the things that will stay with her is the instances that people stopped to thank her.

“The times I’d get a letter or a phone call thanking me for helping someone or for making a decision they appreciated — those made me feel like I was doing the right thing.”

Like all good things, it had to come to an end sometime, though. With her husband being retired for four years and a second grandchild on the way, Turk decided that time for her was now.

“I’ve been in here long enough. It’s been good, but it’s time for me to move on and do other things.”

Turk said that she and her husband plan on spending more time with their grandchildren, and more time traveling and doing the things they enjoy.

“I just want to get caught up with the things I really want to do.”

However, she will be keeping her hand in some things as a senior judge.

“I’m going to continue running the treatment court in Clarion County,” she noted.

She is also planning to continue to serve on the Criminal Justice Advisory Boards (CJAB) and continuing to serve on board for the United Way.

“I’m going to keep my fingers in things.”

Mainly, though, Turk is happy with the time she spent in office and thankful for the opportunity.

“I really want to thank everybody for all their support over the years. I’m so thankful for the great people that I’ve met, and I just hope that I’ve made a difference.”