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  William P. Palmer Jr.
William P. "Bill" Palmer Jr. was born December 31, 1922 in New York City, the son of William P. and Marjorie Boynton Palmer. He had two brothers and the family lived in Larchmont and then moving to Rye, where the family lived on Purchase Street.
Bill attended Exeter Academy and entered Harvard and the Navy ROTC in 1940 (class of 1944), graduating early and receiving a commission in 1943. Thereupon Bill joined the war in the Mediterranean, serving on the USS Brooklyn until 1945. His service number was 705 11 60
_.jpg) The USS Brooklyn (CL-40) was the lead ship of the Brooklyn-class of light cruisers, commissioned into the United States Navy in 1937. It saw extensive service in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters during World War II
From 1943 to 1944, Brooklyn remained in the Mediterranean, providing critical fire support for several Allied amphibious landings, including the invasions of Sicily (Operation Husky), the Anzio-Nettuno landings (Operation Shingle), and the invasion of Southern France (Operation Dragoon).
 Back in civilian life, Bill earned an MBA from Stanford (1948). He met and married Ethel Wheeler Regan on August 22, 1951, in Helena, Montana. They had three children during their marriage.
During more than 20 years with the American Can Company, between assignments in the States, Bill and his young family spent seven years in Mexico City and eventually settled down in Connecticut.
In 1972, Bill took the helm of the business office at Hackley School in Tarrytown, NY, holding that post until retiring in 1986. Bill and his family called Ridgefield home for 37 years before he and Ethel moved to Danbury in 2005.
Bill was a musician at heart and passionately pursued a musical career after retiring from Hackley.
 He belonged to several bands, including The Easton Banjo Society, The Riverbank Banjo Band, and The Ridgefield Senior Melodiers. He played the accordion, piano and banjo.
Bill was a faithful, loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather and friend. Throughout their lives, he remained close to his two brothers, Jack and Dave, both of whom predeceased him. Ethel also predeceased him in December 2017. Bill will be missed greatly by all who knew him well-- friends, family, and fellow musicians.
William P. "Bill" Palmer Jr. died on Sunday, May 27, 2018 at the age of 95, after a brief illness.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his three children: John Palmer, of Stockton, California; Rex Palmer, of Watertown, Massachusetts; and Susanna Marker (and husband Chris) of Sherman, Connecticut, and by his two grandchildren: Anastasia and Dmitriy Marker. A memorial service will be held at Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Ridgefield on September 29 at 11:00.
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Published in The News-Times from Aug. 7 to Aug. 12, 2018.
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