Rosemary Jones Palmer

She was born on August 1, 1940, in Savannah, Georgia, to the late Charles Milligan Jones and Doris Inez Battle Jones.

A gifted piano player, Rosemary was a graduate of Savannah High School and Georgia Southern University. She worked as an elementary school teacher in Brunswick and St. Simons Island, Georgia, before meeting and marrying her husband, Bill, and embarking on the adventure of a lifetime as a Naval Officer’s wife. The family hopscotched across the country from Honolulu and San Diego to Newport, Key West, and Virginia Beach. After Bill’s retirement from the Navy, they moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Rosemary made many lifelong friends. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Chapel Hill Garden Club, and University Presbyterian Church.

Rosemary is survived by her husband of 56 years, William A. “Bill” Palmer, Jr., of Atlanta, Georgia (formerly of Chapel Hill, North Carolina); her sons, Robert Randolph Palmer of San Diego, California, and William A. “Billy” Palmer III (Anna); and grandchildren William H. Palmer, Caroline E. Palmer, and Graham A. Palmer, all of Atlanta, Georgia; her sister, Elaine Jones Bixby of Cullowhee, North Carolina; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

No services are planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Rotary Foundation (https://my.rotary.org/en/donate).