Mrs. Catherine Palmer

Catherine (Cathy) was born in Atlanta, Georgia one July 4, 1937, and died in Scottsboro, Alabama on September 5, 2015. She was preceded in death by her father, Raleigh Harlow Luckett and mother, Lucille Thomas Luckett. She is survived by her husband, Philip L. Palmer, and his children: Donald H. Palmer (Esmerelda), Dianne Palmer McLain, Melody Palmer Gelpi (Patrick), and Russell B. Palmer. Grandchildren include: David McLain (Jill), Kissy Palmer, Austin Dartez, Lukela Palmer, Maci Palmer, Laura Mayfield (Zeal), and Aimee Gelpi. There remain also three great grandchildren. Cathy is survived by her brother, Michael Luckett, of Montgomery and his wife Laura, and their children, Michael Luckett, Jr. and daughter, Ellen Luckett Baker (Justin). Her great nieces, Eva and Laura Luckett also survive, as do her special cousins, Lucy Hill and Susan Jahnke. Cathy was a descendant of the renowned Drayton family of South Carolina, whose magnificent home, Drayton Hall, sits on the Ashley River outside Charleston. It was completed in 1742 and is now owned by the National Trust. Its descendants, “Friends of Drayton Hall”, assemble there often and Cathy was with them whenever possible. After growing up in Birmingham, Cathy attended the University of Alabama and there her sorority was Alpha Phi, which accorded her lifelong friends. She received a BS degree and a Master’s degree in United States History and Political Science. After stints of teaching in Virginia she returned to Alabama and taught constitutional law and American history at Huntington College in Montgomery. She moved to New Orleans and had completed all her course work for her PhD at Tulane University and needed only to complete her dissertation. She met Philip Palmer there and left academia forever upon her marriage to him on April Fool’s Day, 1972. She then reared his very young children, Melody and Russell, as they moved four years later to Slidell, Louisiana. Cathy involved herself heavily in Republican politics, which remained a lifelong passion. She was a former president and honorary lifetime member of the Women’s Republican Club of Slidell. She worked and volunteered on several St. Tammany Parish campaigns: Bob Livingston, Liz Teague, Joan Hennessy, and Judge Patricia Hedges. She was also a former president and member of the friends of the Slidell Library. After two hurricanes had caused severe flooding and damage to their homes, the couple moved to Scottsboro, Alabama. There Cathy continued her interest in libraries and became the president of Friends of the Scottsboro Library. She also joined an active reading club at the library and became active in the Republican Women’s Club of Jackson County. Cathy had an amazing intellect and memory for events and dates in history and could actively participate in any discussion without rancor or anger. She was a voracious reader and enjoyed every type of literature: biography, fiction of all types, humor, and poetry. She not only read widely, but could remember and retain the plots and characters of her range of subjects. She especially enjoyed discussing historical events and debating political issues. She was a loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, and she will be greatly missed. Her funeral services will be held in Slidell, Louisiana, at Honaker Funeral Home, 1751 Gause Blvd. West (in Forest Lawn Cemetery), on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. Interment will follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday after 12:00 O’clock noon until funeral time. Please visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook. Scottsboro Funeral Home is assisting the family here in Scottsboro, AL and Honaker Funeral Home is assisting the family in Slidell, LA.

Mrs. Catherine Palmer

July 4, 1937 - September 5, 2015