Ursula G. Palmer

Ursula G. Palmer, 55, of Charlottesville, died Wednesday, January 31, 2007, at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Born August 11, 1951, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late Leo Gumienny and Muriel Magagna Gumienny. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Bill Gumienny.

Ursula held a bachelor degree in Business Administration from Averett College and retired from the Charlottesville Department of Social Services as Chief of Benefit Programs after 30 years of service to the Charlottesville community. She was also a member of Church of Our Saviour in Charlottesville.

Surviving her are her husband, William P. Palmer Jr. of Charlottesville; a daughter, Ann Muriel Palmer of New York, New York; a son, William Noyes Palmer of Atlanta, Georgia; a sister, Beth Searls and her husband, Burke, of Montclair, New Jersey; four brothers, Christopher English, Ted Gumienny and his wife, Naomi, Lee Gumienny and his wife, Sherri, and Ken Gumienny and his wife, Beth, all of the Philadelphia area; seven nieces and nephews, Rachel, Elizabeth, Jessica, Joseph, Lee, Eric, and Autumn; and additionally her husband's parents, Bill and Leola Palmer, and sisters, Peggy Johnston, and Sarah Shaffer all of the Charleston, West Virginia area.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, February 2, 2007, in Church of Our Saviour, Rio Road with the Reverend David Stoddard officiating. Interment will be private.

Ursula loved working in her beautiful flower gardens and jogging at Walnut Creek Park and on the Monticello Trail. She battled breast cancer for eight years and the family would like to thank the doctors and staff of the University of Virginia Medical Center for all of their care and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, any contributions may be made to either Dr. David Brenin's Breast Cancer Vaccine Trial or Ramona's Room in care of University of Virginia Cancer Center, P.O. Box 800773, Charlottesville, VA 22908.

This obituary was originally published in the Daily Progress.