Obituary for William Roger Palmer

W. Roger Palmer, 71, of Hampton, passed away Thursday, August 14, 2008 at Franklin General Hospital in Hampton. A celebration of Roger''s life will be held Saturday, August 23rd at 2:00 pm at the First Christian Church in Hampton, with Pastor John Chapple officiating. Inurnment at the Hampton Cemetery in Hampton will be at a later date. Per his wishes he was cremated. Visitation will be from 11 am until the time of service at the First Christian Church in Hampton. Roger was born in the family home on September 25, 1936, the eighth child of Joseph and Ruth (Fox) Palmer of Hampton. After graduating from Hampton High School in 1956, he served two years in the United States Marine Corps. In August of 1959, he married Sandra L. Eckhardt of Sheffield and had one son, Patrick in 1964. They later divorced. In October of 1969 he married Norma L. Abbas of Hampton. Roger enjoyed life and there was no doubt that he lived it to the fullest. Over the course of his life he worked as a baker, owned The Palmer House tavern, was employed at Weldin''s Ready Mix as a truck driver and later as plant manager and most recently owned Palmer & Palmer Computer Supplies with his wife Norma. Roger was an avid Yankee Fan and enjoyed trips with his wife Norma and their basset hounds in their motor home called, "The Yankee Clipper". Over the years they had traveled to all of the lower 48 states and to parts of Canada. Roger also was a servant of the community in which he lived. He served as a Hampton Volunteer Firefighter for 17 years, Hampton City Councilman, Mayor of Hampton and Franklin County Supervisor. He enjoyed helping other people in those roles of public service and was many times called "The People''s Mayor". He represented the City of Hampton at the christening of the submarine USS Hampton in Newport News, Virginia in 1993. Roger was also active in the Democratic Party on the county level and also at many state functions. Roger also gave his time to many Hampton civic organizations. For many years, Roger umpired Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball and Girls High School Softball games. He also served on the Franklin County Development Board, was a former member of the Hampton Kiwanis – receiving the Distinguished Service Award in 1993 and the Hixson Fellowship Award in 1997. He was a life member of the AmVets, America Legion and Franklin County Historical Society. Roger was a former member of the United Methodist Church and a current member of the First Christian Church. His other interests included meeting with "the boys" in Bradford every morning for coffee and cards, collecting coins and guns, watching old westerns and of course watching and cheering for the New York Yankees. Roger leaves behind a loving wife, Norma; one son, Patrick and his wife Becky of Hampton; 3 brothers, James Palmer and Jess Palmer of Washington and Chuck Palmer of California; and two faithful Basset Hounds – Muffin and Daisy. His parents; 2 brothers, Tom and Frank; and 2 sisters, Ruth Carmen and LaRae Palmer, preceded him in death.