Posted by Terry Powers on December 6, 2022:

CHARLES PALMER OBITUARY Charles Dana "Pete" Palmer, US Army LtCol retired, formerly of Spartanburg, died Nov. 9 at the age of 92 in Washington, DC. Pete was born in Lowell, MA, just before the Depression. Despite this he reminisced often throughout his life about an idyllic New England boyhood there with his parents and three sisters. He graduated from West Point in 1949 (from which his father graduated in 1913). Pete married Miss Jane Willard , also of Lowell , in 1952 and began their married life enjoying la dolce vita in Trieste, Italy (at the time a UN Protectorate). Returning to the US, Pete joined the 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper at Ft. Bragg, NC. He loved hurling himself out of airplanes and regretted that could not be a career in itself. Later, Pete served in Korea for 16 mos. He then went on to earn an MA in American History at the University of Oklahoma. Following that the family moved to Tampa, FL where Pete served at Strike Command HQ, MacDill AFB. Enjoying the Florida climate, he took up sailing, tennis and golf. A tour in Vietnam as advisor two the 1st Division of ARVAN, based in Hue near the border of North Vietnam, followed. Upon his retirement in 1971, he earned an MBA from USC in Columbia. He then joined Milliken Corp. in Spartanburg, and where he and Jane eventually opened two Hallmark stores; Cricket's at Westgate Mall and Val's in Greer. As they enjoyed twenty successful years in business they also spent as much time as they could at their second home on Fripp Island. There, Pete could be found swimming 12 mos. a year in the ocean, regardless of the season. He was active member and President of the Retired Officers Assoc. of the SC Upstate and a member of the Piedmont Club. All the while Pete, a gifted mathematician, volunteered countless hours as a tutor of higher math for high school and college students in the Spartanburg community. He greatly enjoyed classical music and learned to play the piano at age 50. But to know Pete was to know how much he loved running and long-distance biking. Active in the Carolina Chapter of the US track and Field Assoc. as treasurer and membership chair. He administered countless races, educations programs and workshops for more than a decade. He was a founding member of the Spartanburg Striders. A remarkable but humble athlete he never mentioned that he finished 52nd in the Boston Marathon in 1959, and 121st in 1958 . He would go on to run Boston 6 more time after these. He also enjoyed running the Columbia Marathon numerous times; 18 marathons over the span of 40 yrs. He skied in CO and UT regularly until his 80's with friends and family. He loved hiking both Table Rock NC and Mt. Washington, NH and could often be seen playing handball at Duncan Park. In 2006, he and Jane moved to Knollwood in Washington, DC and divided their time between DC and Fripp Island. Pete will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather. His positive "glass-half-full" outlook will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Jane of Washington, DC; daughters, Valeria Palmer of Atlanta, GA, Charlotte Lekakos of Chevy Chase, MD ,devoted son-in-law Chris; two grandchildren, Caroline Lekakos and Charles Lekakos and dear friend, William Cooper of Elizabethtown, KY. In lieu of flowers , the family requests donations be made to the Spartanburg Humane Society, 150 Dexter Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29303. Published by Spartanburg Herald-Journal on Dec. 8, 2019.

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