Obituary: Flora Rae Palmer 

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• Flora Rae Palmer

It is with great sadness that the family of Flora Rae Palmer announces her passing on Monday, Dec 3, 2018 at the age of 89 after a brief illness in Newberg Oregon. Rae, which she preferred to be called, was born September, 29th 1929 in Carey Idaho to Floyd Herring and Delta Atwood Herring. She graduated from Los Gatos High and attended Business College where she studied accounting and worked for Lockheed in Sunnyvale CA. In 1958 she met her husband Richard “Dick” William Palmer, they were married on July 11th 1959 at Moffett Naval Air Station, Mt View CA. Rae and Dick settled back in VT in Richmond 1971 eventually settling in Hinesburg in 1986. Rae and Dick raised three children Michael Palmer and wife Debra and their children Sheila, Shannon (husband John) and Samantha; Catherine Augustitus her husband Robert and their children Catherine and Jacquelyn; Terrell Palmer his wife Cynthia and their children Hannah, Rebecca and Joshua. Rae was extremely proud of all her grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Rae was predeceased in 2015 by her husband, Dick, of 56 years, a daughter Sheila Marie in 1960, who died in childbirth, and her sister Melba Herring Wallace in 1962.

Rae was an active member of the Richmond and Hinesburg communities. She worked in the Richmond Elementary cafeteria while her children attended the school and served on the Mount Mansfield and Champlain Valley School boards for 25 years. She also organized and ran the summer swim program at Lake Iroquois for the children of Richmond and Huntington for six years. She worked at Hart & Mead as the bookkeeper for 20 years, retiring in 1998. Rae had a passion for history and genealogy spending many years researching her family history and was a member of the Genealogy society of Vermont, New England and North Carolina.

To honor Rae’s wishes there will not be a viewing or funeral. A graveside ceremony and celebration of life will be held in the coming summer. In lieu of flowers Rae asked that people consider donation to the Hinesburg VT Community Food Shelf or the VFW National Home for Children of Eaton Rapids, Michigan.