A native El Pasoan, EULA MAE SMITH PALMER passed peacefully from this life on May 30, 2019 at the age of 90 in her daughter’s home in Atlanta, GA. Cherrie, as she was lovingly known to those who knew her, will be greatly missed, and her memory will be cherished by her surviving children: Pam Cook and husband Bob of Lilburn GA; Paul Palmer, Jr and wife Dee of Phoenix, AZ; and Charlie Palmer of Albuquerque, NM. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. Cherrie was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Edward Palmer, Sr. in 1995 and her youngest child, David Eugene Palmer, just eight months ago.
Born on November 25, 1928, Cherrie was the younger of two children born to Leslie Morris Smith (deceased) and Arlon Gertrude Posey Smith (deceased), and was predeceased by her brother, Morcie Lee Smith. Cherrie grew up on Cumberland Ave., attended both Crockett and Coldwell Elementary Schools and graduated from Austin High School in January of 1946. She attended Texas Western College (now UTEP) for a short time before the demands of raising her children preempted her continued education.
On March 24, 1946, Cherrie Smith married Paul Palmer, also a native El Pasoan. They settled in what is now the Central El Paso area where they raised their four children, one girl and three boys. Paul and Cherrie missed celebrating their golden wedding anniversary when Paul died only a few months before. During the years that the children were small, Cherrie was a stay-at-home mother. Besides being a wonderful mother, she especially enjoyed baking and sewing when she had time after doing all of the cooking, laundry, and cleaning required for a family of four children. With her husband’s blue-collar income and four hungry little mouths to feed, she knew how to be very frugal. The children have stories to tell of knee patches sewn on top of knee patches, lots of powdered milk to stretch the real milk, homemade clothes and haircuts on the patio.
As the children got a little older, Cherrie returned to work outside the home. The first position that she took was to became the receptionist at Paymaster Oil Mill, a position she served in for several years until the company closed. A short stint with the gas company followed until, in 1968, she became a school secretary (the title used in those days) which would soon enough prove to be her calling in life. At Highland School, an El Paso Independent School District school for special needs children, it became evident that Cherrie had the perfect combination of clerical skills along with the necessary compassion and wisdom for that setting and all of the unpredictable situations that would arise with those special children, their parents and the teachers and staff. There was never a dull moment, and she handled it all with grace and love!
In 1973, Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School opened its doors, and Cherrie had been selected from among many candidates to be the first school secretary for this new school. All those in education know that the school secretary is the one who really keeps the school running, which Cherrie certainly did! In 1995, Cherrie made the difficult decision to leave the job she loved so much so she could spend his remaining time with her husband she loved so much whose health was failing. For 22 years, alongside three different principles, many teachers and staff, and thousands of students and their parents, Cherrie had served everyone at LB Johnson Elementary with great dependability, proficiency, effectiveness and love. She had been greatly valued by all and was greatly missed when she left.
Not long after her retirement, her beloved Paul passed away. This left Cherrie with a great emptiness that had previously been filled to overflowing for so many years by her commitment and devotion to her husband and her job. It wasn’t long, however, before she became interested in quilting. Because Cherrie had never met a stranger in her life, she quickly had a whole new life filled with new friends and quilting. Out of this new hobby, some dear and lasting friendships grew, and many quilts were lovingly made for her children, grandchildren and even a few of her great grandchildren.
Throughout her life, Cherrie’s faith in God and staunch ethics and integrity defined her. She could always be trusted and always be depended upon. She loved to be at church and taught her children and grandchildren to love God and be good people through her own example. If you happened to be spending the night at her house, you could hear her prayers before she went to sleep every night as she knelt beside her bed and talked to God out loud. She was unwaveringly true to what she believed and who she was.
As a beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother and dear friend to so many, Cherrie will be remembered in special ways by each person whose life was made better because she lived and touched their life. In remembrance and celebration of her life, with minister and long-time friend, Howard Bryan, presiding, a memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 29th at 10:00 A.M. at Westside Church of Christ where Cherrie was a member for more than 40 years. The church is located at 100 Crestmont Dr., El Paso, TX 79912. Attire for this service will be dressy casual, just how Cherrie would want it.
Cherrie loved gardening and flowers and she loved children and quilting. So, for those who, instead of flowers, would prefer to honor her with a donation, her family would like to suggest a memorial contribution in her memory to the El Paso chapter of Project Linus, an organization that makes and gives quilts to children in situations of special need. To learn more, please go to https://www.projectlinus.org/. Donations may be made online at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=1e3d26. Or, to print the form and donate by mail go to https://www.projectlinus.org/pdf/DonLtrHQ.pdf.
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