Fred Milton Palmer

He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred Palmer and Madeline McDonald, and his stepfather, Charles McDonald, all of Little Rock, Arkansas; his sister, Shirley Caesar, and his niece, Jan Graham.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Martha T. Palmer, the former Martha A. Thom of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and their three sons, Fred M. (Tammy), Stephen C. (Debbie), and Dennis M. (Paula); four grandchildren, Sydney Carter, Stephanie Palmer, Ashley Palmer, and Maggie Palmer; two great grandchildren, Greyson Carter, and Caroline Carter; his sister, Freda Graham, and his nephew Doug Graham (Aimee). Pallbearers will be his sons and grandson. SGT Palmer joined the USAF in 1954 and served 20 years of active duty, 17 of which was in the Strategic Air Command where he was twice selected to represent his assigned base in the SAC Aircraft Combat Competition. His first duty station after technical training was Lake Charles [LA] AFB where he was selected to work on a top secret bombing/ navigation system being developed by IBM for the B-52G. SGT Palmer was credited with finding a fatal flaw in the system, which was corrected and later purchased by the Air Force. The last three years of his military career was spent in the Recruiting Service. He felt this allowed him to offer young people an opportunity to continue their education or learn a skill that would allow them a career. While proudly serving his country, SGT Palmer received many awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. Upon retirement from the Air Force, he joined Creative Displays, Inc. and later started Creative Leasing, Inc., a company that became the largest independent long term automobile leasing company in Alabama with offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa. Mr. Palmer eventually became sole owner of Creative Leasing, Inc. After operating the company for 27 years, he sold the company to a bank in Maryland and retired for a second time. He loved his wife, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and enjoyed watching them succeed in life. He also enjoyed working in his yard and Alabama Football.