John David Palmer, age 58, of Frisco, TX, formerly of Beaumont, TX, passed away at Medical City Dallas Hospital, surrounded by his family on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. He was born on March 9, 1961, in Little Rock, Arkansas to Ed and Carolyn (Rogers) Palmer. At age 13, he received the title of Eagle Scout and joined the ranks of Order of the Arrow, one of the youngest Boy Scouts to receive these honors. He was a 1979 graduate of Forest Park High School in Beaumont, Texas and attended Lamar University.
He married Joy Duggan on October 24, 1992, in Thicket, Texas. He worked as a computer specialist for New York Life Insurance in Huntsville, Alabama before becoming a systems administrator for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) for more than two decades. John also served as project leader for Hewlett-Packard and DXC Technologies where he won awards for his innovations of new systems and HTML design. He loved to spend his time with family; it was when he was with them that he was most happy.
He is preceded in death by his father, Ed; and his beloved cat, Wendy.
He is survived by his wife, Joy Duggan Palmer of Frisco, Tx; his daughter, Ashley Riley and husband Jason of Plano, TX; his mother, Carolyn Palmer of Beaumont, TX; his brother, Tim Palmer and wife Kathy of Beaumont, TX; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and aunts.
Honoring John as pallbearers are Jason Riley, Ricky Marcontel, Verlon Duggan, Chris Lindsey, Coty Burns, and Chris Bergeron.
Family, friends, and others whose lives John touched are invited to the Thicket Church of God, 26942 FM 787, Thicket, TX 77374, on Saturday, January 18, for a 9 am visitation, and an 11 am funeral service.
In lieu of flowers, please go to allbloodcancers.org, 191 Waukegan Rd. Suite 105, Northfield, IL, 60093-2744.
