Glenn Hunter Palmer, Jr.

Glenn Hunter Palmer, Jr., September 7, 1928-October 1, 2020 was born in Pasadena, California into a military family. As a child his family was deployed abroad to China and the Philippines. Glenn met his future wife, Margaret (Maggie) Warner in high school, while living in Virginia. In addition to Maggie, with whom he had been married for 68 years, he is survived by his son, Glenn, III and his daughter-in-law, Tamar, of State College, PA, and his three grandchildren, Hunter, Einav, and Ethan. He was preceded in death by his son, Randall (Randy), in 1995.

A graduate of West Point, class of ‘52, Glenn completed 28 years of Regular Army, National Guard and Army Reserve service, serving two tours in Korea and Japan, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. Glenn had a second career with Caterpillar Tractor Co. His service and work took him and his family around the globe, from TX to Japan, Oklahoma, Illinois, California, Washington State, Minnesota, and Geneva, Switzerland.  

Upon retirement in 1985, Glenn began his third career, as a gardener and naturalist, serving as a horticulturalist for a few years at the Peoria, Illinois, zoo. He loved the natural living world and dedicated his later life to caring for plants and sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

A resident of Asheville since 1989, Glenn served multiple terms as president of the Botanical Gardens of Asheville and served as a member of other boards and committees. He volunteered at the Western North Carolina Nature Center, and was active in the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program and the North Carolina Arboretum. For 12 years he was the primary writer for a weekly column that appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times, “Ask a Gardener” and had a TV spot on WLOS by the same name. In 2013 he was named North Carolina’s Master Gardener of the Year. He had a deep curiosity and was a life-long learner, turning his attention to new areas of research – from invasive plants to firescaping to the challenges of gardening in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.

Glenn passed away on the 25th anniversary of his son’s death. We like to imagine them together again, sharing Sierra Nevada Torpedo ales (Randy’s cold, Glenn’s room temperature).

In lieu of flowers, one may want to consider donations to the Botanical Gardens of Asheville or a charity of one’s choice. 

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