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Clara M. Palmer

March 5, 2021

 

Mrs. Clara M. Palmer, 90 of Panama City, Fla. passed on peacefully on March 5, 2021, with her

family by her side.

Clara was born on October 26, 1930 in Bainbridge, Ga. She met the love of her life, Paul Palmer on September 5, 1943. They were childhood sweethearts when he was of 15 and she was 12. The minute he saw her, he told his best friend Calvin Dollar, “You see that beautiful black headed girl over there? I’m going to marry her”. They were married April 26, 1957 and settled in Panama City where Paul was stationed at the local Navy Base. While Paul wanted Clara to stay in one place to raise their children, she did travel with him to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and thoroughly enjoyed her time there.

In her early years she worked at Southern Bell as a switchboard operator. Her famous line was “Number please.” She later became a devoted Navy spouse for 30 years and raised three children while Paul was serving our country. In her later years she became involved in adult coloring and it was her passion. She would color for hours and produce special pieces of art. Other than home, her second happy place was Plum Delightful. She never walked out of the store without at least one pair of earrings and usually more. She became friends with so many people there. She loved visiting and telling stories to anyone that would listen. She radiated sparkle and everyone wanted to listen to her amazing lifetime stories. She was deeply loved.

Clara was kind, caring, funny and a beautiful gentle soul. She was very much a southern lady and never met a stranger. She cherished and loved her family more than anything, especially her grandchildren. She was affectionally known to them as Bomboo.

Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Homer and Ruby Kelley of Bainbridge.

She is survived by her husband, Paul Palmer; children, Steve Griffin (Connie), Clarice Palmer Lambert and Dennis Palmer (Jenne); grandchildren, Stephen Griffin (Amanda), Kayla Brant (Jason) and Adam Griffin (Kate); great-grandchildren, Morgan Griffin, Claire Griffin, Logan Griffin and Lily Griffin; brother, Homer Kelley (Ethel) of Tullahoma, Tenn. sister Geraldine Bronaugh of Austin, Texas; many nieces and nephews.

Graveside funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at Black Jack Church Cemetery, 2747 Whigham Road, Bainbridge, with her great nephew, Chad Palmer officiating. Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted at www.southerlandfamily.com