Joseph James Palmer

Joe was born May 13, 1931 to Joseph Walter Palmer of Longmont, Colorado and Ruth Helen Mutch of Butte, MT. He attended Wasatch Grade School, East High School, and earned degrees in business (1955) and in law (1959) at the University of Utah. He was a proud Sigma Chi. Joe served in the United States Air Force where he was stationed in Salina, Kansas.

Joe married Dorothy Ann Moyle on April 11, 1956 at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City.

Joseph and Dorothy Ann have four children and eight grandchildren. They are: J. James (Terry) and Anne Elizabeth of Salt Lake City; Wood (Ann Loyola), of Alta, WY; and Davis (Kelli Keegan) of Portland, OR. His adored grandchildren are Joseph, Ashton, Madison, Peter Cole, Hanna, Ella, Preston, and Rowan. He is survived by his wife and his sister Mary Ann (Middy) Gardner. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Virginia Palmer Rees.

He spent most of his career as a lawyer at Moyle and Draper, working with his father-in-law and brother-in-law, Oscar Wood Moyle Jr. and III. His law partners and practice of the law were defining aspects of his life. He loved what he did and had many clients who were life-long friends. After moving to Alta, Wyoming he became a FINRA arbitrator.

Joe was an Episcopalian and served as a member of the lay vestry at St. James Church, Holladay. The Episcopal Diocese and many other civic organizations received the benefit of his advice. They included Rowland Hall St. Mark School, the Salt Lake Art Center, Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Alta Club and Salt Lake Country Club, where he was elected president, and the Institutional Review Boards of St. Mark’s Hospital and the University of Utah.

He developed a passion for pioneer Utah art and with his wife, Dorothy Ann, donated their collection of art to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in 1992. From 2005-2009 he was elected a Planning and Development Commissioner for Teton County, WY where he did community service when he and Dorothy Ann took residence in Alta, WY. During these years he became an opera devotee and also joined the board of trustees of the Grand Teton Music Festival. His mantra was: “Art will save the world.”

Those who wish may consider making a gift to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts or Utah Symphony/Utah Opera in remembrance.

Father Lincoln Ure will officiate at a private graveside service