ANTHONY JAMES PALMER passed peacefully on 14 April, 2023, in his 91st year, after a brief illness that he faced with courage and strength. Beloved husband of Jeanette (née Cassell) for 67 years. Adored father of Laura Schwartz, Nancy Palmer, and Jason Palmer. Wonderful Papa to Alexandra, Murray, Ocean and Olivia and Great Papa to Kai. Anthony held dear his extended family in England and in Canada. He is also greatly missed by his faithful companion cat, Tobermory.
A passionate Canadian, with English and Irish roots, Anthony loved the Celtic traditions and was always brought to emotion by the playing of the bagpipes. We will miss his rhyming Cockney slang, his infamous silly sayings and his laugh. Anthony was born in Tottenham, London, England on 20 February 1933, to Violet Swain, and adopted by Thomas and Rose Palmer. He was a student at the Tottenham Grammar School and became a devoted Tottenham Old Boy. During WWII, he survived a bomb that dropped on his school and an air raid that peppered the wall beside him with bullets. Leaving home at age 15, he attended the original Outward Bound Sea School in Wales from where he joined the British Merchant Navy, in whose service he had circumnavigated the world twice; visiting every continent save Antarctica by the age of 19. After returning to England, he met and married the love of his life, Jeanette. In 1956, they emigrated to Canada and embarked on a life of adventure.
Over the years, Anthony’s thirst for knowledge led him to master many skills as an accomplished sailor, horseman, woodworker, outdoorsman, skier and champion rally car driver. He was an award-winning artist and he spent many happy hours in his Sandpiper Studio. His coveted annual Christmas card for which he diligently researched and produced an original painting each year, was looked forward to by many for over 40 years. His Christmas dinners were epic and there was always a board game, a book or a puzzle on the go. Together, he and Jeanette enjoyed classes in pottery and tennis, with trips to the symphony, concerts, films and theatre filling out the calendar. Anthony also enjoyed careers in structural engineering and the automotive industry, in Canada and in the United States. With Jeanette as his co-pilot, he drove the epic US Route 66 in 1959, in a British open top sports car; skied the Rockies and Europe; crossed Canada by train from coast to coast and north to James Bay to see polar bears; built a sail boat, sailing the Maritimes, Georgian Bay and the Florida Keys and travelled North America extensively in a VW camper van, always with his family along for the ride. He treasured long family vacations which he planned in detail, often drawing and illustrating his own maps and travel itineraries, and he instilled in his children that travel is the best education. He showed us the world.
Anthony was our guiding light; he worked hard for his family and led by example. His was a journey full of lessons learned and knowledge gained. He made the most of every opportunity, and most importantly, never gave up in the face of disappointment or adversity. His care and knowledge benefitted all of his family and friends. He was a great man who continues to inspire us all. The family is grateful for the care Anthony received from the kind and supportive staff and caregivers at Barrie Community Health Centre and Royal Victoria Hospital.
At the end, with his beloved Jeanette holding his hand, and surrounded by those he loved, he told us, “It’s been a wonderful life.”
Good night, Anthony.
“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,”
-Walt Whitman
As per Anthony’s wishes, cremation has taken place and there will be no funeral service. A celebration of his life will be held in Barrie, Ontario in June. In September, in England, his ashes will be deposited in the Atlantic Ocean over which he sailed so many times.
The family would appreciate a donation in Anthony’s name to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB Barrie), the Canadian Council for the Blind (CCB) or contributing/volunteering to the charity of your choice.
Online memories and condolences may be made at www.peacefultransition.ca