Cynthia M. Palmer

Newport, RI - Cynthia M Palmer, 77, of 30 Hazard Road, Newport, died Tuesday, October 5, 2004 at Rhode Island Hospital Providence, RI.She was the wife of Richard Palmer. Born in Bristol, RI on May 24, 1927, she was the daughter of the late Mary ?Netta? E. Saillant McCaw and Arthur M McCaw. Mrs. Palmer atteded St. Marys Jr. College, Raleigh, NC and the University of Rhode Island graduating Phi Betta Kapa. She received a Master of Arts degree in Holistic Counseling from Salve Regina University in 1986. She practiced at the Interfaith Health Care Ministries Inc. in Providence, RI for several years. While employed there, she was accredited in Clincal Pastoral Education to offer pastoral care to those caught in the crisis of illness. She was well respected in her field as a sincere, kind and deeply sensitive counselor who provided a healthy and safe environment for sharing. Cynthia was well known for her sense of humor and ?joi de vivre?. She never lost her child-like appreciation for creation; truly, she was a bohemian sophisticate who cherished life and all of its wonder. Always the student, she was a passionate learner and teacher. She deeply impacted friends and family with her genuine concern for their needs and willingness to come alongside in prayer and encouragement. Her deep abiding faith in God sustained her and gave her strength to persevere through the many difficult seasons of life and to rejoice in seasons of blessing and abundance. While living in Barrington, she was active in the Barrington Players. She was a gifted vocalist and an invited soloist at many religious and civic functions including the Bristol Fourth of July Parade. She was a member of the Henschel Club, and the International Order of St. Luke the Physician. She was an avid supporter of environmental and animal protecton issues serving as a lifetime member of the Barrington Garden Club and financial encourager of the Potter Animal Shelter. Other organizations of service and support included the Tennis Hall of Fame, the Newport Music Festival, and the Redwood Library. She was a long term member of St. Columbas Berkeley Memorial Chapel where she served as a Eucharistic Minister. Besides her husband of 56 years, she is survived by her daughter Laura Lee Ryan of Pt. Charlotte, FL and four sons, John S Palmer III of Cincinatti, OH, Richard F. Palmer of Windham, ME, Mark D. Palmer of Apple Valley, MN, and Arthur S Palmer of Newport, RI, five grandchildren, two nephews and one niece. A celebration of life funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 9, 2004, at 10:30 AM in St. Columba Berkeley Memorial Chapel, 55 Vaucluse Avenue, Middletown. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the National Trust of Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 or to the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840.