Robert McGill "Mac" Palmer LCDR USN Retired

Born August 3, 1933 in Baltimore, Maryland, to the late Benjamin Duvall Palmer III and Mary Jenkins Palmer. Mac attended the University of Maryland and was commissioned as a Naval Aviator in 1955.  His Naval career took him to Hawaii; tours as an instructor at NAS Pensacola; bases in Norfolk, Virginia and a joint RCAF base in Argentia, Newfoundland Canada.  He flew dozens of aircraft ranging from his beloved F6F Hellcat to early fighter jets and helicopters.  His Naval career rewarded him with many close friends with whom he enjoyed long distance friendships for many years after their retirement.   After his Naval retirement in 1972, he began his second career with the Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, retiring in 1993 to enjoy his Dark Horse Farm in La Plata, Maryland, where he and his wife of 47 years, Suzanne Clements Palmer, cared for their cherished horses and German Shepherds.

As a descendent of early Colonial Maryland pioneers, Mac was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Duval Society, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.   An avid reader, he was a lifelong student of history, researching his Palmer, Mackall and Jenkins family histories, and American military history. Recognizing the importance of preserving that history, Mac and Suzanne donated family portraits, furniture and personal items from the original Palmer family home, Woodlawn, in Sandy Spring, Maryland to the Maryland Park and Planning Commission and to Historic Annapolis.

Although they loved their Maryland roots, Mac and Suzanne relocated to Leland, North Carolina in 2017 for a quieter lifestyle near the water and where they are members of the St Therese Catholic Church family. Mac was able to enjoy his passion for nature watching the birds in his Brunswick Forest backyard and his love of reading and history in the peace and quiet of his recliner surrounded by his books, genealogical research, and keeping up with the professional tennis world and the University of Maryland Lacrosse. Mac is best remembered by all who knew him as a kind and caring gentleman whose Christian faith and patriotism for our Nation and its past defined his life and legacy.  

Mac was predeceased by his first wife, Harriet Slingluff Palmer.  He is survived by his beloved children, son, Benjamin Duvall Palmer IV (Kathy), daughter Susan Palmer Marciniak (John) and daughter Mary McGill Palmer Stevens (Nathan), seven grandchildren, Sam, (Kari), Quinn, John (Katy), James (Pattaree), Jesse, Sarah Schafer (Frank) and Robert Palmer Stevens, and five great grandchildren.

The family is grateful to the kind and caring staff of Lower Cape Fear Life Care who cared for him during his last days. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Therese Catholic Church in Wrightsville Beach at 12:00 noon Thursday, June 20, 2024, and friends and family are invited to a reception at the Brunswick Brewery and Cidery at 2:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Lower Cape Fear Life Care 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401 or at https://lifecare.org/donate/ or to the charity of choice.

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