Ted Palmer

Terry "Ted" Palmer, 76, of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 16, 2026, following a brief illness.

Ted was born Eleftherios Papanastasiou to Victoria and Constantine Papanastasiou on December 13, 1949, on the island of Evia, Greece, where he lived until he was five years old. In July of 1954, following the Greek civil war, Ted and his family came to America to begin a new life. They changed their last name to Palmer, which was taken from a local Detroit moving and storage company (that's still in business today). The Palmer family settled on Detroit's east side and opened Palmer's Sandwich Shop at Eastland Mall, where Ted worked as a teenager throughout the 1960s.

Ted was 14 when Beatlemania hit, which sparked a lifelong love of music and the arts, including as a performer, singing and playing guitar in bands. Ted graduated from East Detroit High School in 1967 and went on to attend Wayne State University to study business. As a young man he was an avid concertgoer and saw many of the era's great acts perform live at venues like the Grande Ballroom, Eastown, Mr. Flood's, Chessmate, and Cobo Arena.

In 1969 he met the love of his life, Debra, and they married in 1974, settling in St. Clair Shores to start a family. Together, Ted and Debra raised three children, always putting their kids' needs first and supporting them in all their pursuits.

Ted worked in hardware retail for over 45 years and was beloved by co-workers and customers alike, developing a lasting rapport with regulars. He was a well-rounded handyman, an excellent woodworker, and always had a home improvement project going. He repaired everything from cars to computers-there wasn't anything he couldn't fix.

He was sharp, witty, clever, and corny-master of the pun, pioneer of the dad joke, and even pulled off light-hearted pranks on occasion. He loved the Michigan outdoors, road trips, bird watching, classic cars, photography, gadgets, computers, and the Tigers.

Above all, Ted was a selfless provider and supporter of his family-he, along with Debra, guided his children all throughout their lives, whether their car needed a jump, they needed help moving or installing a hot water heater, or they just needed advice no matter what the topic, he was there. He also loved his grandchildren and was proud of their milestones and achievements and was always up to spend time with them. It was never a matter of *if* Ted was available; it was always: "Ok, when do you need me?" He loved his family and was there for them at every turn.

Ted was preceded in death by his parents, Constantine "Gus" and Victoria Palmer.

Ted is survived by his wife of 52 years, Debra Palmer; his children Stephen Palmer (Ellen) of Farmington Hills; Susannah Palmer (Patrick Foran) of Brooklyn, New York; and Bethany Palmer Harry (Joseph) of St. Clair Shores; his three grandchildren, Arthur Palmer, Violet Harry, and James Harry. He is also survived by his brother James Palmer (Christine) of St. Clair Shores; his niece, Elizabeth Palmer Jarvis; and his nephew, William Palmer.

Memorial Visitation for Ted will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2028 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm at Bagnasco & Calcaterra Funeral Home, 25800 Harper, St. Clair Shores, MI.