Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Mildred Juanita Palmer, known as Nita, age 73, a longtime resident of Troy, passed away Monday, Feb. 1, surrounded by loved ones. A family graveside service will be held Thursday, Feb. 4, at 11 a.m. at Spring Hill Baptist Cemetery with the Rev. Keith Reynolds and the Rev. Jim Macintosh officiating.

Mrs. Nita will be remembered by many for her kind and generous spirit, her infectious smile, and her incredible strength. She began her life in Monroeville, among five siblings and many close-knit cousins and kin. She was the first person in her family to earn a college degree.

She married B.B. Palmer in 1969, and they raised two children in Monroeville and then Troy. She encouraged them to pursue their educations enthusiastically, sending Bryant to Vanderbilt and Columbia and Krystal to Auburn and Vanderbilt. She took great pride in her children’s accomplishments. Nita loved traveling with her husband, and throughout their 51 years of marriage they visited London, Paris and Munich and explored the American South and West extensively, making new friends each place they went. In the last decade, Nita’s favorite destination was Colorado, to spend time with her children and grandchildren, often for weeks at a time. Nita loved reading and usually finished around 100 books each year. She loved Sudoku, too, and cheering on Auburn and Troy sports teams. She was actively involved in her church community, and lived her life as a shining example of being kind to others and loving thy neighbor as thyself. She volunteered with the Pike County Cattlewomen’s Association and the Gideons International Auxiliary. Though modest to a fault, Nita was immensely strong. She overcame a bout with breast cancer in 2001, and then lived several years beyond expectations after a metastatic cancer diagnosis in 2015. Nita was the epitome of a good friend, a loving wife, and a caring mother.

Mrs. Nita is survived by her husband of 51 years, B.B. Palmer; son, Bryant Palmer; daughter, Krystal Palmer Shaker; grandchildren, Maisy Shaker and Jameson Shaker; sisters, Jennie Moody, Judy Wilson, and Margaret Chunn (James); brother, Calvin Stabler (Eleanor); and a multitude of nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Otis Maxwell Stabler and Mildred Inez Nettles Stabler; and brother, James Otis Stabler. Her beloved Westie, Bo, passed away last year.

Charitable contributions can be made in Mrs. Nita’s honor to the Imagination Library (www.imaginationlibrary.com ), as a tribute to her lifelong love of reading, or to Relay For Life of Pike County, a branch of the American Cancer Society. Friends and family can sign the guestbook online at www.greenhillsfuneralhome.net. The staff of Green Hills Funeral Home is honored to serve the Palmer family.