Carolyn Palmer

Carolyn M. Palmer was born of Utah pioneer heritage to Charles A. McKellar and Afton Agnes Tanner on May 22, 1937, in Tooele, Utah, where she lived most of her life, lastly residing in Stansbury Park. She also resided in California, Nevada, and New Mexico and had traveled to all 50 United States.
In addition to being a mother, she was employed for most of her life. She was the Tooele High School class valedictorian in 1955, and subsequently attended the University of Utah on full scholarship. During her first few years of college, she was employed by the Eccles family in its banking empire, and she subsequently worked for the Federal Government in its wartime commands. She married her best friend and high school sweetheart, Richard Frank Palmer, on September 13, 1957, in the Salt Lake Temple. She helped Richard achieve completion of his college degree through BYU and LDS Business College.
Later she graduated Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Utah and was awarded full scholarships for continued education. She was awarded a Department of Defense internship, which she completed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Other civilian positions during her army time was being the Tooele County Deseret News correspondent and photographer, working for the Republican Party as Supervisor of Secretaries for several state legislative sessions, an election official, state party secretary, county co-chairman, and a convention state delegate many times. She was also a charter member of the Tooele County Museum Board, and did much genealogist work for personal and general histories/recoveries.
In later years she was a Federal Women's Program Manager and Civilian Personnel Management Analyst/Contracts Manager. She finally retired from the Department of Energy as a Power Repayment Specialist, managing the allocation of many western state's water and power federal resources.
Throughout her life she was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in ward and stake auxiliaries as a teacher and counselor. Later in life she and her husband, Richard, served in the Salt Lake Temple as an ordinance worker. She had visible and affirmed testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Her sweetheart, Richard, passed away on March 5, 2024, after 66 years of married life. They were devoted to their family. Her oldest son, Todd, died on September 2, 2021, from the covid pandemic. She and Richard are the parents of four children: Pamela Palmer Jones (Alan); Richard Todd Palmer; Michael Scot Palmer (Kelly Wood); and James Brett Palmer (Sandra). The family also includes 11 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren living in various cities across the USA.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Tate Mortuary, 110 South Main Street, Tooele, Utah, from 1:00 -1:45 p.m. A graveside service will follow at 2:00 p.m., at the Tooele City Cemetery, 361 South 100 East, Tooele, Utah.