George Palmer

George Aaron Palmer, 86, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away on Friday, June 11, 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. He was born on July 16, 1923 in Tyrone, Oklahoma, the son of Lewis S. Palmer and Nora Bell (King) Palmer. He attended Tyrone, Oklahoma public schools, until his last years of high school when he lived with his sister, Geneva Grant, and family in Ontario, California and graduated from Chaffey Union High School in 1941. He worked at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California as a machinist apprentice. He served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1946. He attended Oklahoma AM College (Oklahoma State University) in Stillwater, Oklahoma, graduating with a Masters of Science in Trade Industrial Education in 1951. He was hired by Oklahoma Natural Gas Company as Safety Engineer Trainee in 1951. George married Virginia Lee Johnson on May 24, 1953 in Kansas City, KS. They lived in Oklahoma City until George was transferred to ONG's Tulsa office in 1957. George had positions in Safety, Personnel, and Public Affairs departments during his 32 years with ONG / ONEOK and was Executive Vice President, Personnel and Public Affairs, when he retired from Oklahoma Natural Gas Company in 1983. During his career, he was a member Tulsa, regional, and national Chamber of Commerce organizations, safety councils, college placement associations, and chairman of the Tulsa Community Junior College Advisory Council Task Force. George and Virginia have enjoyed the ONGOERS (ONG retirees) group since his retirement. George had an additional career of raising livestock and quarter horses. He bred and raced many registered American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) horses for over 35 years. He had several successful horses that were raced by top trainers in many states. George and Virginia moved to Pryor, Oklahoma in 1983 where they had more acreage and woodlands. George was a member of Oklahoma State University's Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Dean's Advisory Committee from 1997 through 2000. In 2002, a scholarship for the Forestry Department at OSU was established in honor of George and Virginia. George moved to Kansas City, MO in 2008 after Virginia's death. George enjoyed being with friends and relatives, outdoor recreation, working with livestock and horses, promoting education, and keeping up to date with business activities. George was a wonderful husband of Virginia for 53 years, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle to his family, and friend to many. Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. in the Shipman's Funeral Chapel at Pryor, OK with Reverend K.E. Gerhart officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to Oklahoma State University Foundation or your favorite charity. To leave a personal message to his family, please see his Web Memorial at www.shipmansfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Shipman's Funeral Cremation Service. George is survived by his daughters, Jane Wiegand and her husband, John, of Gladstone, MO and Sue Caruso and her husband, Cary of Durham, NC; his son, James Palmer and his wife, Natalia of Arlington, TN; his sister, Elizabeth Preston of Astoria, OR; granddaughters, Margaret Caruso of Durham, NC, Georgia and Justine Palmer of Arlington, TN; many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia Palmer; his parents, Lewis and Nora Palmer; his sisters, Geneva Grant and Margarite Kraft; and his brother, Harold Palmer.

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