Raymond Jefferson Palmer

1924 - 2021

March 10, 1924 - May 19, 2021 Raymond Jefferson Palmer passed away peacefully on May 19, 2021, at his home in Newport Beach, at the age of 97. He was surrounded by family and holding the hand of Margaret, his beloved wife of more than 71 years. He was born March 10, 1924, to Elmer and Grace Palmer in Long Beach, CA. Ray graduated from Long Beach Poly High School, earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering and Professional Degree in Industrial Design from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Ray was a Naval Officer, Construction Battalion, stationed in the Philippines during World War II. Ray and Marge married in 1949 and made their home in Newport Beach where they raised their nine children. Ray's passion for composite structures led to a successful 47-year career in materials and process engineering with Douglas Aircraft Company and retiring from The Boeing Company in 1999. He was awarded multiple patents and known by his colleagues as the father of stitched resin film infusion (Stitched/RFI). His more notable industry recognitions came from the NASA Langley Research Center, the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE) with the George Lubin Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement and The Boeing Company honoring him as a Technical Fellow.Ray enjoyed traveling the world with Marge and time with family, friends and his pastimes of tennis, golf and rooting for Trojan football. He persevered through failing eyesight and continued to play tennis into his early eighties and golf well into his nineties. In addition to Marge, Ray is survived by daughters Barbara (George Ranney), Marilyn (Jeff Marshall), and Linda, and by sons James (Eva), Stephen (Lisa), Richard and Michael (Tina), along with 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Ray was predeceased by daughters Joanne and Nancy (Paul Harris). A private interment will be followed by a memorial service at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 600 St. Andrews Rd, Newport Beach on June 26 at 11:00 am.
In Lieu of flowers donations may be made in memory of Ray to St. Andrews Presbyterian Church or Caltech.