Mary Louise Palmer's Obituary
PALMER, Mary Louise, age 99, of Portage, Michigan and formerly of Kettering, Ohio, passed away Wednesday, October 19, 2022, just a few months shy of her 100th birthday.
Mary was born January 9, 1923, to Paul and Edna Brown in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Centerville High School, class of ’40. In addition, she graduated from the Dayton School of Business and the Oakland Community College of Nursing in Michigan. She worked as an LPN at Pontiac General Hospital in Michigan for many years. While living in Ohio, she was active in Crossview Christian Church in Waynesville, the Centerville Historical Society, and the Miami Chapter Order of Eastern Star in Waynesville (past Worthy Matron in 1954). In her later years, she attended Oakland Drive Christian Church in Portage.
Outgoing, talkative, and a people person, Mary lived a full life and greatly enjoyed the company of friends and family. Her hobbies included knitting, feeding the backyard birds, and doing various crafts. She was known to make aluminum serving trays, which she delicately etched with designs. She will always be remembered for her cooking, especially her homemade bread, caramels, ice cream, and sugar cookies made for family gatherings and get-togethers. Mary also enjoyed traveling, especially with her husband, Cecil. Of particular note, they made a memorable trip out west to Arizona and up the West Coast. She also took a trip to Russia at one point, which she often spoke of highly. Among her favorite destinations was a condominium she owned in Port Charlotte, Florida, for many years. She greatly enjoyed spending the winters in the warmer weather with new friends she had made there. She was an enthusiastic Big Ten football fan since Cecil graduated from Ohio State, while later, her children attended the University of Michigan and Michigan State. Mary’s sister Eileen (Dave) Deeter owned a resort at Grand Lake St. Marys where the entire family would gather on special occasions like Thanksgiving. In the early years, the family would celebrate Christmas holidays at parents Paul and Edna Brown’s house, then later at sister Sue (Roy) Turton’s house in the Centerville area, enjoying the tradition of passionately produced homemade recipes. Of the many things that Mary was proud of in her life, including family, was her accomplishment of becoming a nurse later in life, working in a hospital and caring for people with compassion, care, and respect.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Cecil, in 1987; her parents; two brothers, Thomas and Bob Brown; and two sisters, Betty Jane Thomas and Eileen Deeter. She is survived by three sons, Donald (Georg) Palmer, Richard (Jodie) Palmer, and Daniel (Kim) Palmer; eight grandchildren, Sydney, Jeremy, Jason (Amy), Jennifer, Kalin, Tyler, Lainey, and Maryn Palmer; seven great-grandchildren, Hayden, Hannah, Andrew, Benjamin, Cerena, Hallie, and Ziibe; and her sister, Sue (Roy) Turton.
Funeral services will be held at 1 PM Tuesday, October 25, at Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home in Waynesville. The burial will be in Centerville Cemetery. The family will receive friends 11 AM - 1 PM Tuesday at the funeral home. If desired, contributions may be made to the Leukemia Society, Crossview Christian Church, Oakland Drive Christian Church in Portage, or the charity of your choice. Condolences at www.stubbsconner.com.
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