Gene Stanleigh Palmer

Gene Stanleigh Palmer

Gene Stanleigh Palmer, 80, was born April 16, 1926, in Newton. Gene was the first born and only son of Orville Gilbert (O.G.) Palmer of Crane, Mo., and Lydia Jennie Bergen Palmer of Buhler. Gene left this world suddenly with his large family surrounding his hospital bed in St. Francis CICU, singing him into the arms of his loving savior Monday (July 31, 2006) at 4:30 p.m. He was 80 years, 4 months and 15 days of age.

His wife, Wilda Ruth Thompson Palmer, survives Gene. They celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on May 27, 2006. They first met in 1942 at West Side Church of the Nazarene at the age of 15. She was his sweetheart and love of his life for more than 64 years. Their union blessed them with an only daughter, Charlotte Marie, who survives, a son, Harold Gene, who survives, and Robert Leigh, who preceded him in death in 2002. Gene has been a Christian who had a great faith for more than 70 years of his life and was a role model to all who knew him. He always saw the good in everyone regardless of the situation. Anyone who ever met Gene knew he was a "Great Man," who would always be there for anyone who needed him.

Gene attended elementary school in Newton, Allison Junior High and East and North High Schools in Wichita, where he returned to graduate after his honorable discharge from the United States Navy. He had just received a notice of his 59th high school class reunion for North High to be held next month.

At 18 years of age, May 19, 1944, he enlisted into the United States Navy because he felt it was his duty to serve his country during a time of war. He was assigned to sea on an LST 272, where he was an electrician's third class for the duration of the war. When Gene returned to Wichita, he went to work for the Wichita Eagle and The Beacon Newspapers, where he worked as a journeyman pressman for 47 years before he retired. He returned to work at the Wichita Eagle after retirement for two more years, and in 2000, was asked to do the honors of cutting the ribbon when the old presses were being shut down and the first paper was being run on the new computerized presses being used today. Gene loved his job and always went above and beyond what was expected of him. He had a near perfect attendance record, and for 25 years, he never missed one day of work, and being on time was his priority. Gene and Wilda and their children lived in southwest Wichita for nearly 20 years, before he was able to "live his dream" and live on a farm. In 1970, they moved to Valley Center, where he farmed crops, raised cattle, and various livestock, raised and raced quarter horses through about 2002. When their youngest son, Robert, was ill with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma between 2000 and 2002, Gene sold his horses and limited his farming to hay fields and raising "man's best friends," his beagles.

When Gene began to suffer with serious heart problems in 2002 until the present, his daughter, Charlotte was always by her parents' side to help them through their health battles. And in 2004, she moved from Newtown Square, Pa., where she retired from The Boeing Company, to Valley Center, to be close to her parents. She helped her dad continue to make the decisions for the farm, and had just finished this year's hay baling. She worked in the field with Gene's grandson Robert and great grandson Jarrod, and had her dad count the bales when they came in off the trailer. Gene and Charlotte had just been granted state approval for their dog kennel business, Prairie Lane Farm Kennels, where they were raising nine beagles and just weaning their last litter. Gene had just shown his puppies to prospective buyers on Sunday.

"Daddy and I just decided to keep the last female puppy on Sunday because she is marked so perfectly," Charlotte said. "He loved his dogs, and was so faithful to make sure they were walked every day. I would watch him out the window as his dogs circled about him and knew if they were good, he would have a treat in his pocket. He walked his dogs everyday but Sunday, and this past week had been no exception," Charlotte continued.

Gene played guitar, fiddle and mandolin for more than 67 years. He had a beautiful singing voice, and used his voice until the end. He was the bandleader of the former, "Music Makers" and his newest group was called "The Country Heartbeats." Gene said as long as his heart kept beating, he would keep singing. His band consisted of Gene, his daughter, Charlotte, Mack Brown, Terry Crane and Jack Long. They played at various nursing homes, charity events, and senior center dances. Their last formal performance had been at Lindsborg. Between 1978 and 1985, Gene and his family had a gospel-singing group called "The Four Generations." His family sang in churches and nursing homes throughout the states of Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. It was one of the best times in Gene's life.

Gene was a member for many years with the South Central Trail Ride Club and The Kansas Range Riders Trail Rider Club, where he got to see beautiful places in our country, while getting to "act like a real cowboy." He loved his horses and the people he rode with. Gene and Wilda pulled their horse trailer behind their RV for many, many miles throughout the Midwestern United States.

Gene was devoted to his church, and he and his family attended West Side Church of The Nazarene from the early 1940s to the 1970s. When he moved to Valley Center, he changed back to the church of his childhood, The First Church of The Nazarene in Newton, because his mother and grandmother, Elizabeth Bergen, still attended there. He was a member of Newton's church, and sang almost every Sunday morning for his Sunday school class. He last sang July 30, 2006.

"I listened to him practice his songs on Saturday night while I was talking to Momma," Charlotte remembered.

Gene has left this world with a saddened and grieving family, who will miss him every day, but he has been given his crown filled with many jewels as he stood before his Savior on Monday.

Gene was preceded in death by: his mother, Lydia Jennie Bergen Palmer; his father Orville Gilbert Palmer; step-father, Henry A. "Steve" Palmer; sister, Barbara Watson; his youngest son, Robert Leigh Palmer.

He is survived by his loving family: wife, Wilda Ruth Thompson Palmer; daughter Charlotte Marie Hodgson (Charles), Harold Gene Palmer (Susan); eight grand children, Stanleigh Gene Weaver (Theresa) of Pennsylvania, Darla Jean Palmer Vaughn, (Timothy), Clearwater, Brandi Dawn Palmer Jensen, Haysville, Robert Leigh Palmer, Jr. (Kim), Park City, Christopher Shane Palmer, (Teresa) Wichita, Chad Gene Palmer, Park City, Shauna Marie Palmer, Wichita, Jeremiah Lee Palmer, Carbondale; and twelve great-grandchildren, Dillon Leigh Weaver, Daulton James Weaver, Auston Christopher Weaver, Morgon Marie Weaver, Hannah Elizabeth Vaughn, Dakota Timothy Vaughn, Amber Nicole Jensen, Hunter Ray Jensen Barnes, Kayla Marie Palmer, Jarrod Leigh Palmer, Serena Nicole Palmer, and Meghan Nichole Palmer; a sister, Doris L. Williams, Chickasha, Oklahoma, and stepbrother, Sterling K. Palmer of Newton, Kansas.

Gene's passing is a great loss to all of his family and extended family and many close friends who have touched his life through the years, but our loss is heaven's great gain.

Visitation will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday Lakeview Funeral Home, 12100 E 13th St. (96 Highway and 13th) Wichita, and his service will be 11 a.m. Monday at First Church of The Nazarene, 1000 N. Main, Newton.

Gene embraced God's will for his life and donations can be made to First Church of The Nazarene, Newton. To share a memory or to leave and online condolence, please visit www.mylakeviewfuneralhome.com.

Burial will be immediately following the service at Sunnydale Cemetery, 101st St. North and Hydraulic St., Valley Center.