Jackie Donlaw Palmer

He was born May 15, 1934, the son of Ira Donlaw Palmer and Ada Lee Palmer of Hodges, AL. He grew up in Hodges and graduated in 1952 from Vina High School. Working various jobs to make his way in life was tough, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1954 and served honorably until 1957.

After the army, he moved to Birmingham and there he met and married Nancy Elizabeth Glaze, the love of his life and wife for 60+ years. She predeceased him in 2020. Jackie will be remembered by family and friends in various interesting ways. For example, he was a surprisingly excellent joke teller (“Jackie Jokes”), he was the “fastest and the toughest boy in the county” in athletics according to some contemporaries, he loved his very LARGE family, he was an avid reader of the Bible (especially the King James Version: “If it was good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me!”), and, speaking of Jesus, he loved Him a lot also!

He is survived by his son, Jackie Donlaw Palmer, Jr. and daughter-in-law, Leanne Hill Palmer of Atlanta, GA; son, Trent Palmer and daughter-in-law, Mary Smith Palmer of Loganville, GA; daughter, Trinka Elizabeth Myers and son-in-law Mark Randall Myers, Sr. of Lawrenceville, GA; grandchildren, Emma Palmer, Ian Palmer, Samantha Palmer, Melinda Palmer, Rebecca Adebayo, Mallory Myers, Georgia Myers, Marissa Myers, Chloe Myers, Mark Myers, Annie Myers, Autumn Myers, and Scott Palmer; great-grandchildren Kayden Palmer, Mack Palmer, Jet Palmer, Yancey Bolton, Hudson Abou-Sraje, Avery Lowe Adebayo and Levi Oliver Olean.

He is predeceased by his son Daryle Scott Palmer.

A graveside funeral service will be held at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Cemetery, located at 4864 County Road 18, Hodges, Alabama, 35571. The service is scheduled for March 1, 2026, starting at 1:00 pm.