Martha Palmer Obituary

Martha "Marty" Carolyn Palmer, beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away at the age of 96 on January 16, 2026, from Alzheimer's disease. She was born December 4, 1929, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Joseph Benton and Kathryn Lansing. Marty grew up in Wisconsin, spending her childhood in Fond du Lac before moving to Ashland, where she graduated from high school in 1947. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Northland College in 1951, with minors in English and Spanish. It was during her time at Northland that she met her soulmate and love of her life, Robert "Bob" Andrew Palmer.

Marty and Bob were married on December 20, 1952, and shared 58 wonderful years together.

They raised four children in Wisconsin for 15 years before relocating the family to Sacramento, California, in 1967. Marty taught Spanish and worked as a substitute teacher throughout the 1960s and 70s. She eventually settled into a kindergarten teacher assistant position from 1977 to 1989, in Sacramento. Family was always at the center of her life; she was a devoted wife and mother who loved giving her children rich experiences. The Palmer family enjoyed many great adventures, including winter ski trips to Lake Tahoe and summer vacations camping, hiking, and backpacking. She shared her love of the great outdoors and her respect for nature with her family. There were many informal gatherings and holiday celebrations with family, friends, and neighbors.

In 1990, after 22 years in Sacramento, Marty and Bob retired to the beautiful coastal town of Florence, Oregon. There, they enjoyed the breathtaking beaches and cliffs of the Oregon coast, explored near and far in their RV, and cherished time with their grandchildren. To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, they took a memorable 2.5-month road trip to Alaska. Following Bob's passing in 2011, Marty remained in Florence until 2024 when she moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, to be near family.

Marty's family remembers her as the HEART of the family. In the words of her many grandchildren: "Onie" was full of light and love, kind, unique, quirky, funny, compassionate, selfless, accepting, dedicated, energetic, endlessly supportive and a safe haven. She was a confidant, a moral compass, an exercise guru, and a Dancing Queen. Onie was passionate about life, family, people, and her "furry" friends. Vacations at Onie and Papa's place were filled with magical memories, fantastic food (breakfasts seemed to be mentioned quite often), and fun, fun, fun! She truly made her grandchildren feel special and deeply loved.

Marty is survived by her four children and their spouses - Robb (Michelle) Palmer, Susan (Phil) Kilkus, Sally (Richard) Lagomarsino, and Marti (Dan) Hirtle, 12 grandchildren - Angela Bertolino, Erika Wilson, Chris Palmer, Carolyn Farman, Greg and Brent Kilkus, Joe and Mike Lagomarsino, Sean, Cameron, Keefe, and Hannah Hirtle, and 10 great-grandchildren.