Gordon Alan Palmer

Gordon was born on July 11, 1931 to Emil & Ebba (Nyberg) Palmer.

A resident of Arlington Heights for 55 years, he graduated from the University of Illinois before marrying his wife of nearly 65 years, Vivian.

Gordon had a long career as an educator – first as a high school band director and then as a special education teacher. After retiring from Prospect High School, he taught at Trinity International University in Deerfield. He was also the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights for 25 years.

In addition to being a conductor, Gordon was an accomplished trombonist and enjoyed playing with various groups over the years. Gordon loved to travel. In addition to traveling the world with his wife and family, he also led group tours. He led many choirs to Europe where they sang in venues ranging from churches to schools to embassies. He also led numerous domestic and international tour groups for classical radio station WFMT. He and his wife enjoyed attending concerts, theater productions, the opera and the symphony, and he loved the Chicago Cubs and playing tennis.

Survivors include his children Pat (Michael) Thorsen, Sue (Gary) Judson and Dave (Michele), 5 grandchildren, Rachael, Emily (Daniel Larrazabal) & Alissa Judson and Sydney & Max Palmer, and his brother-in-law Allan Carlsson.

Visitation will be on Friday, November 10 from 4-7 pm and Saturday, November 11 at 10 am, and a memorial service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, November 11, 2023, all at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights.

The service will also be live streamed at: https://firstpresah.org/. Interment will be private. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Music Department at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights or to classical radio station WFMT at https://secure.wfmt.com/honor_memorial.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://obituaries.neptunesociety.com/obituaries/rolling-meadows-il/gordon-palmer-11458243/add-memory for the Palmer family.