David Douglas Palmer

died peacefully at his home in Green Hill on Wednesday, July 31 after many years battling the neurodegenerative disease corticobasal degeneration. He was among his loving family, including his incredibly dedicated and caring wife of nearly 58 years. He was 81 years old.

David was born in South Weymouth, Massachusetts on May 20, 1943 to Margaret (MacDonald) Palmer and William Palmer, where he was the fourth of five children, including older brothers William, Donald and Lincoln, and soon his beloved younger sister Alice, with whom he shared a special bond. 

While attending Weymouth High School, David met the love of his life, Natalie Roulston, and graduated in 1961. He attended Northeastern University where he received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business, between which he and Natalie married in 1966. The young couple soon moved to Western New York as David embarked on his pursuit of a Ph.D. at the State University of NY in Buffalo where their first son Keith was born. David taught briefly at nearby Canisius College and in 1975 received his doctorate. 

David then joined the faculty of the School of Business at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. He, Natalie and Keith moved to Willington, the even smaller town next door, where in under a year they would welcome the family’s second son Kevin. 

David would go on to work as an Associate Professor of Management at UConn for 31 years, where in addition to being frequently recognized for his engaging teaching style, he served as Executive Director of UConn’s MBA Programs from 1992–1998. David also dedicated much of his time to university-wide service, including with the American Association of University Professors, where he held every executive office, always working tirelessly for his fellow members in negotiations with the state. David also served in the University Senate and was elected moderator for many years. It was a role in which he excelled, ensuring proper order and facilitating rational discussion using his strong sense of decorum and the occasional bit of carefully deployed wry humor. 

David was an avid UConn basketball fan who always knew the perfect parking spot for a quick getaway from the Field House, Civic Center or Gampel Pavilion, a necessary skill for a man who attended hundreds of men’s and women’s games over more than 30 years, including 20 NCAA Women’s Final Fours.

Outside his university commitments, David consulted for major corporations such as Travelers Insurance and taught advanced leadership seminars for the U.S. Postal Service through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was also an active member of the Eastern Academy of Management, where he made many deep and lasting friendships over the years, and always took great pride in planning the international group’s biennial meetings in the far-off places he and Natalie loved exploring together.

Beyond his professional pursuits, David was first and foremost a loving family man. He was thoughtful, gentle and humorous, with an infectious laugh that could engulf the family dinner table in uncontrolled joy. He coached soccer and basketball teams; helped lead Cub Scout troops; sneakily switched to his left hand while playing ping pong with the boys; and constructed some of the most intricate Halloween costumes children have ever worn. More than anything, David took great pride and pleasure in watching his sons grow into the men they’ve become.

He and his family enjoyed many winter vacations skiing with his sister Alice’s family in New Hampshire and Maine. But it was Rhode Island that would host some of the most memorable moments for David and his family. From days on the beach, to water skiing on the lake, and the one and only time their small boat ventured into the open ocean - those long summer days will always be remembered fondly. 

In 1998 David and Natalie built their Rhode Island dream home overlooking Green Hill Pond and the ocean in the distance. Whether steaming lobsters with extended family or playing games on the lawn, the memories that began in the small cottage nearby would continue to be made in the new home they’d designed themselves. 

After retiring David and Natalie loved traveling the world, experiencing the cultures of numerous countries on four continents. They also enjoyed making new friends at the retirement home they built in 2008 on fairway five of the Member's Course in St James, North Carolina, where they played golf and bridge, two hobbies David took up later in life. In 2021, as David’s disease took greater hold, he and Natalie returned to Green Hill full time to be closer to family.

David is predeceased by his parents Margaret and William Palmer and his brothers, William, Donald and Lincoln Palmer. He is survived by his wife, Natalie (Roulston) Palmer; son Keith Palmer, his wife Sarah and his cherished grandson Owen; son Kevin Palmer and his partner Stephanie Huszar; sister Alice Tebeau and her husband Don Tebeau; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

As he served his community throughout his life, in the final years of his battle with corticobasal degeneration David made the generous decision to donate his brain to Massachusetts General Hospital to advance research into frontotemporal and movement disorders in the hope of helping those who will come after him. 

A private memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers or trees, donations can be made in David’s memory to Cure PSP.