Paul Dayton "P.D." Palmer

Paul Dayton “P.D.” Palmer, age 67 of Elizabeth, Illinois died on Friday, March 4, 2016 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa. Cremation rites will be accorded. A memorial service will be held at 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 11, 2016 at Law-Jones Funeral Home, Elizabeth, Illinois, with Reverend Lisa Burbank officiating. A memorial gathering will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m., Friday, March 11, 2016, prior to the memorial service at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to Wounded Warriors: woundedwarriorproject.org.
P.D. was born on May 1, 1948, the son of Ralph and Virginia (Mast) Palmer in LaGrange, Illinois. He attended Elizabeth High School and graduated with the Class of 1966. After high school, P.D. attended Highland Community College, where he earned his degree in Auto Mechanics. He married Carla Nardin on June 9, 1972 in the First United Methodist Church, Elizabeth.
P.D. owned and operated Palmer Automotive Specialties in Elizabeth for many years. Before he opened his own shop, P.D. was the Service Manager for Bocker Auto Group in Freeport, IL. P.D. loved Chevrolet and was a proud Corvette owner and mechanic. He loved high performance cars and enjoyed racing at the Byron and Cordova Dragways. He usually had lots of irons in the fire and was always working on an old car or specialty motor. When he wasn’t racing or working, he enjoyed watching the Fighting Illini play basketball. P.D. attended St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church and was a member of the Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce.
P.D. will be dearly missed by his two children, Todd (Christine) Palmer of Elizabeth, and Alisha (Nate Furlong) Palmer of Elizabeth; two granddaughters, Bailey Palmer and Macey Fulton; his special friend, Becky Pierce of Elizabeth; and his ex-wife and friend, Carla. He was preceded in death by his parents.