It is with profound sadness that I write to tell you of my father’s passing.
Lon T. Palmer, age 79. Beloved husband of 56 years to Roberta Boyer Palmer, devoted father to sons Jason and Shelly Palmer and his wife, Debbie, adoring grandfather of Brent and Jared Palmer and Alexis and Andrew Zinberg and great-grandfather to Emma Zinberg.
He was born in Manhattan, son of the late Martha and Maxwell Palmer and brother of the late Stan Palmer.
After being graduated from Brooklyn College, attending the Juilliard School of Music and receiving a Masters Degree in Music Education from Columbia Teacher’s College, ROTC Bandmaster/1st Lieutenant Palmer commanded the 504th Air Force Band out of Richards-Gebaur AFB, Kansas City, MO.
As a young man, Lon volunteered many hours as a Boy Scout leader and established a Drum and Bugle Corps at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Boys Club. A consummate music teacher, he led numerous bands and many drum and bugle corps and taught Orchestral Music at Springfield Gardens Junior HS.
He was the founder of the Palmer Music Center and Music School in Belrose, NY and the owner of Freeport Music, the oldest music store on Long Island. He was a pioneer in the musical instrument mail order business, was president of musicalinstruments.com and the owner of US Regulation Bugle.
Services Sunday, December 14, 11:30am at The Riverside, 76th & Amst. Ave. NYC
Contributions may be made to: The Lon T. Palmer Music Education Fund at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, c/o Financial Manager, 6 W 48th Street, NYC 10036