Mary Carroll Palmer Obituary
Mary Carroll Palmer, 96, passed away on October 16, 2019 at Falcons Landing Retirement Community in Potomac Falls, Virginia, surrounded by family and friends and her beloved dog "Jack." Mary was admired for her charm, compassion and beauty. She had a great love for her family and the many friends she made as she traveled the world as an Air Force wife.
Born April 18, 1923 in Wheatland, Wyoming, one of Floyd ("Doc") and Grace Carroll's six children, she grew up in Wyoming, living for a time in Los Angeles California and on Remount Rancho (a sheep ranch in southeastern Wyoming) before moving to nearby Cheyenne and then Laramie where her father established a Veterinary practice that served the large cattle ranches of southeastern Wyoming.
Mary met her husband Col G. Bruce Palmer in 1943 while she was attending Business School in Denver Colorado and Bruce was commander of the 789 Th B- 24 Heavy Bomber Squadron. They married in Salt Lake City in 1943 and made their first home in Wendover Field Utah while Bruce and his squadron prepared for deployment with the 8th Army Air Force in Rackheath England and Mary worked for the Red Cross. In 1946 Mary traveled with her two young children to Munich Germany to join Bruce who was assigned to a tactical reconnaissance group to document the history of WWII for the Army. Mary and Bruce traveled extensively in post-war Europe and both had memorable stories about their travels and the people they met in Germany, Poland and France. Later during a marriage that lasted over 65 years they lived and raised their family at numerous Air Force Bases across the country as well as two tours of duty in the Far East. Mary was truly the heart of the family as she dealt with all the family issues that inevitably occur when moving every 2-3 years.
Mary's kindness and charm made her a family favorite and a great friend. Her husband Bruce often said there was no one whom Mary met that didn't want to tell her their story and get her reaction and advice. In addition to being a loving and adored mother, grandmother
and great grandmother, Mary found time to volunteer as an intake counselor for behavioral health outpatient services and other volunteer work for hospitals in Fairfax County. Her beloved husband, Bruce, her siblings, Isabel Christofferson, Tom Carroll, Linda Smith, Colleen Schroeder, and Beverly Ball precede Mary in death. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Michael C. Palmer and Theresa Palmer of Fairfax, Margaret Palmer and Don Davis of Burke, Jonathan Palmer of Vienna; two grandchildren, Michael R. Palmer and his wife Amy, of Annandale, and Julie Shier Bakir and her husband David, of Fairfax Station; 7 great grandchildren, Jakob Palmer of Missoula Montana, Jackson Palmer, Jenna, Aiyah, Noah, Hanna, and Ryan Bakir. Mary will be greatly missed. She was a wonderful mom, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. Her memory and spirit will continue to enrich the lives of her family and her many friends.
Mary will be laid to rest with her husband Bruce at Arlington National Cemetery.