Mary Ella “Marty” Palmer
March 29, 1943 – November 24, 2023
Mary Ella “Marty” Palmer was born March 29, 1943. She passed away peacefully at her home in Leesburg on Friday, November 24, 2023, at age 80, after a courageous year long battle with cancer.
She was born and raised in Elmira, NY, where she graduated from Elmira Free Academy high school. She received an Associate Degree in applied science from Elmira College on June 2, 1963. On June 15th, 1963, she married her high school sweetheart, Lee Palmer, at age 20. Lee and Marty lived in Big Flats, NY where they raised their daughters, Carrie and Karen. After retirement they were snowbirds to Florida for several years until settling full time in Leesburg, Florida in 2017.
Marty initially worked as a secretary for Westinghouse Electric Corp. When her daughters became school age, she worked as a teacher aide at Big Flats Elementary, tutoring in reading and math, until she stopped working to raise her daughters. She returned to work later in the printshop for the Horseheads (NY) school district, making school calendars, district publications, sports and event programs and many other projects. After her daughters graduated from high school, she then became the Registrar at Horseheads High School. She was able to take an early retirement from that position in 2002.
She and Lee enjoyed many activities together including boating, kayaking, motorcycle trips, traveling, camping and various dances such as polka, square, round, line and swing, often combining camping trips with dance events. Marty was a very talented artist and enjoyed a variety of painting techniques as well as ceramics, macramé, sewing and quilting. She was also very health conscious and loved to take walks and attend exercise and yoga classes. As residents of Hawthorne, together Lee and Marty enjoyed kayaking, dancing, boating and were members of the boat club and the Military Club. They were block captains, which involved keeping track of birthdays, anniversaries, and welcoming new residents to their street, volunteered to decorate the clubhouse at Christmas time and delivered Meals on Wheels.
Marty was always involved in a variety of activities and looking for ways to help others. She rarely said “no” when asked to participate in something. Marty was very organized and was an excellent house “manager”. She was well known for her kind, gentle, and fun nature, intelligence, creativity and her sense of humor. She had many dear friends who she loved to spend time with. She enjoyed playing games with friends and family, traveling, learning and experiencing new things, but above all she loved her family and was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and aunt.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Theressa Schweiger, her sister Marsha Bellows, and nephew Sean Hickey.
She is survived by her husband, Lee, and had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June. She is also survived by daughter Carrie and her husband Robbie (Parsons) with their children Austin and wife Vienna, Carly, Claire, and KrisAnna; daughter Karen and her husband Jim (Benesh) with their children Abbey, Tatum and Palmer; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Judy and Fred Hickey, nephews Scott and his wife Jen, and Mike and his wife Kris.
The family would like to request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Mary E. Palmer’s memory to: Hospice Foundation, 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778.
There will be a Celebration of Life, on Monday, December 4, 2023 at 10am, in the Main Hall at Hawthorne at Leesburg, 100 Hawthorne Blvd., Leesburg.
Thank you for all the friendship, love and support that has been given to Marty and the family through this difficult time.
