For more than two decades, Phyllis Kramer was not just a wise and calm voice on the other end of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, the Aurora woman became a recognized face, featured on TV shows and in regional and national news stories at this time of year.

The New York Times. Good Housekeeping. Business Insider. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Fox News. Rachael Ray. Kramer even worked alongside comedian Stephen Colbert when he flew to the hotline headquarters on Diehl Road in Naperville to tape a segment for his late night show.

This holiday, however, her story has taken an ironic twist: The Turkey Lady is stuck in Turkey for Turkey Day.

Seriously, says Kramer, “you can’t make this stuff up.”

And if you did, this travel tale would be titled “Dream Vacation Turns Into Nightmare,” notes her longtime partner Jerry Skinner.

It was on Nov. 2, while the couple was on a much-anticipated European-Asian vacation, that Kramer tripped and fell while in Turkey, breaking her hip two days before their scheduled flight home to Aurora.

And she won’t be able to get on a plane until Dec. 4, a 12-hour flight that, in itself, will be difficult and potentially dangerous for the recuperating 81-year-old former West Aurora High School home economics teacher who became so well-known for her advice to nervous holiday cooks.

In a phone interview from her hotel in Istanbul, Kramer is trying to look at this misadventure in the most positive way possible. But she readily admits “it’s been tough” and at times “terrifying,” particularly when she was taken first by ambulance to a public hospital that she described as “dirty and crowded” with police officers and stray cats everywhere.

Kramer was able to transfer to a more reputable medical center the following day. But as Skinner frantically maneuvered through international hurdles to get the financing for the surgery, Kramer developed an infection and the couple both came down with COVID-19.

The hip operation went ahead as planned anyway, and for the past couple of weeks Kramer has been gradually getting stronger and looking forward to returning home. In the meantime, she and Skinner have been researching the best way to spend the Thursday holiday in a country “where very few people speak English.”

Possibilities, she tells me, include a traditional Thanksgiving meal offered by the female owner of a small restaurant, and joining a group of expatriates who get together for a potluck turkey dinner.

Certainly both options are a long way from her own treasured holiday traditions, which for 22 years included being a Thanksgiving cooking expert and often-used media spokesperson for the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line.

It was a perfect post-retirement job for this former home ec teacher who loved cooking and hosting parties. You may not always be able to make students happy, she explains, but those stressed-out folks who called for help with their turkey dinner were always so appreciative.

No wonder it was “a really hard decision” to retire from the hotline after 2023. But she wanted to take this special autumn trip abroad, which had been in the planning stages for a year.

Unfortunately, those plans hit a big hurdle almost immediately on Oct. 16 at the Rome airport and went downhill from there.

The first sign of trouble was when Skinner was detained because of a lost-then-found passport issue, and was forced to go back to the U.S. to straighten out the situation. That in itself was no easy task, as he traveled to multiple airports in the four days it took FedEx to deliver the correct document to him, he tells me.

Finally reunited with the group again, the couple and their friends left on Nov. 1 for Istanbul, but the following day, after being dropped off for a quick land excursion on a Bosphorus boat trip Kramer stumbled on a loose cobblestone and took that fall.

After she and Skinner came down with COVID-19, their traveling friend, who flew home because of a critically ill dog, returned to Istanbul so he could help the couple get through this complicated medical ordeal. And, if that wasn’t enough, Skinner was knocked to the ground by a car while walking in the crowded streets of the city – the sidewalks are nearly impassable, they say – but felt lucky to get away with scrapes and bruises only.

In spite of all that, Kramer insists there’s much to be thankful for. While some days are certainly better than others, she feels well enough now to enjoy some of the sights of Istanbul in a wheelchair – no small feat considering the hills are steeper than any found in San Francisco, she notes.

The couple is also grateful for the outpouring of support they’ve received from friends back home, especially those in their neighborhood, who describe their warm and welcoming community around Aurora University as “Mayberry.”

Alexandra Juriga, for example, immediately donated her miles to upgrade the weary travelers’ critical flight home – blood clots are always a concern after surgery – and started a fund so they can enjoy some of the sights in this surprise Turkey leg of their trip.

It’s the least they can do for their “neighborhood matriarch” who started the “Tipsy Tuesday” summer garden gatherings and those popular Christmas parties that over the decades continue to grow, she says.

No one knows the impact Kramer has had in the neighborhood more than Dotty Pokorny, who “was welcomed by Phyllis” in the ’70s and believes “we are the only originals” still there.

“Everyone knows her,” says Pokorny. “She just has a way about her that makes people love her.”

Mary Spears, who belongs to the same book club as Kramer, agrees. Which is why, she says, “we are just trying to keep her spirits up … she’s so disappointed she’s missing the holiday activity.”

While Kramer has no desire to ever return to Istanbul, this turkey of a trip certainly has not dissuaded her from other travel plans. “We are making lemonade out of lemons. The outcome is as good as it can possibly be,” she tells me.

“Life changes your priorities in ways you cannot imagine. I am disappointed. But when you see the uplifting help you get through this … I am grateful and so thankful.”

dcrosby@tribpub.com