Florence Clarissa Palmer

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Florence Palmer, the wonderful and amazing woman that we were truly blessed to be able to call Mom, Grandma and Great Grandma.

Florence was born in Hamilton to Florence and James Cartwright on February 10, 1931. She is predeceased by her parents, her sister (and brother-in-law) Mary (Cecil) Jackson and her loving husband Willam (Bill) Palmer.

She will be sorely missed by her children, Evelyn Palmer (Michael Szachury) and Karen (Michael) Brown.

Florence was also blessed with four grandchildren, Angela (Robert) Cavanagh, Jennifer Holm (John Doerksen), Mikey Szachury and Jordan Brown (Jmie Gustilo), and was delighted to welcome three great grandchildren, Jayce, Charlie and Lexie Cavanagh, each of whom are missing her terribly.

Florence loved her church work and was very active in the church all her life and from a very young age. She belonged to many church groups, including many women’s guilds throughout her life.

It was in her young people’s group that she first met her husband, Bill. He was the minister sent in to provide guidance to the group. Florence decided to ask Bill to a dance held by her employer, Westinghouse. When he came to pick her up, she came downstairs in her strapless dress. When he looked up and saw her, well that was pretty much that. Soon Bill enlisted her to help write his children’s stories for church and the rest was history.

Florence loved to work with her hands, sewing, knitting, crocheting, needlework. She was an excellent knitter and seamstress and both sewed and knitted clothes for all her family, even their dolls. Florence made each manse into a beautiful home. With every move the curtains became longer or shorter depending on the house. There were many moves, but each new place was always home and it was always filled with love. Florence was also an avid stamp collector, often attending stamp meets. She would win stamp competitions with her penny stamp collections. Later in life, Florence also became an avid quilter, and her loved ones became the beneficiaries of many wonderful quilts.

For a while, Florence was a teacher. First in a single classroom with many grades in one room. Later she taught English in high school at the advanced level. She had an amazing vocabulary but was very modest about it. When her daughters came along, she stayed home to raise them. Her days were busy making all the girls clothes and just doing everything for her girls, including driving them an hour to school every day and being one of the best Brown Owls the Brownies have ever had.

Then in Ottawa Florence felt a strong call to become a minister. Her girls were getting older, and for the first time, the Presbyterian Church was accepting woman into their colleges and inducting them as ministers. She went to Montreal to attend presbyterian college and excelled at every class! She was also very close with her classmates, and many pranks ensued over her college career. Florence was amongst the first female ministers ordained in the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Upon graduation, her first charge was the Kenora Fellowship Centre. She remained there for many years, and while there, she helped open Clarissa Manor and the Family Resource Centre (now called Saakaate House). When the Fellowship Centre Board decided to name the new manor Clarissa Manor, Florence would no longer let anyone know what her middle name was. It wasn’t named for her, and she didn’t want anyone thinking that it had been.

After Kenora, Florence and Bill moved to Winnipeg, where she was promoted to the Superintendent of Missions for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. This position kept her very busy with lots of travel and visiting individual churches. She remained in this position until she retired. During these years, she proudly became a grandmother four times over. Later in life, she moved back to Kenora to be closer to her family. Once there, she was thrilled to become a great grandmother three times over. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren filled her heart with much joy.

Florence was kind to everyone that she knew. She did good things quietly, never taking credit and never complaining, even when she was seriously injured or in pain. She always looked for the best in others and always gave everyone the best that she had. Her life was an inspiration and her memory a benediction.

In lieu of flowers, donations In Florence’s name can be made in support of your own religious affiliation or Church or to the charity of one’s choice.

Pallbearers will be Michael Brown, Michael Szachury, Mikey Szachury, Jordan Brown, Robert Cavanagh and John Doerksen.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 10:00am at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre with Rev. Marion Jackson officiating with a luncheon to follow. For those unable to attend, a live stream will be available at https://fweb.tv/239095