Arthur Randolph Palmer passed away on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at East Carolina Heart Institute- Pitt County Memorial Hospital.
Art was born on July 29, 1936 under a big magnolia tree on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh , NC. His parents were Oren Alston Palmer, Sr. and Lillie May Way Palmer.
He attended Fred A. Olds Elementary School, Needham B. Broughton High School and graduated from Wake Forest University in 1958.
As a teenager, Art worked on the NC State College Farm and had a newspaper route for the News and Observer with over 200 customers. Upon graduation from Wake University he attended Navy Officer Candidate School and was released from Active duty in 1961 as a Lt. Jr. Grade.
Mr. Palmer’s first career was in the Hospitality industry in Raleigh, where he worked for J.W. York & Company from 1967 until 1991. His second career was a Sales representative for The Buying Office in Atlanta, Ga. After retiring he worked with Kenyon Bailey Garden Supply in Elizabeth City and with Ace Hardware in Ahoskie.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah Annette Baker Palmer and her two sisters and their families. He is also survived by a brother, Oren Alston Palmer, Jr and wife, Maxine; a sister, Eleanor Palmer Maness, two daughters, Elizabeth Randolph Palmer and Pamela Hughes; a son, Lynn Palmer; and three grandchildren.
A Memorial service will be held on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 2:00 PM at Harrellsville Baptist Church.
Garrett-Jones Funeral Home in Ahoskie is serving the Palmer family.
Friends and family may send condolences and sign the online register at www. garrettjonesfh.com