Mary Palmer Daniel

April 24, 1922 - July 23, 2018

Mary Palmer (Palmy) Daniel Thompson died peacefully on July 23, 2018. Born April 24, 1922, she was preceded in death by her husband, Overton Thompson Jr., and her parents, Mary Goff Palmer Daniel and Richard P. Daniel of Jacksonville, FL; sister, Ophelia Mason Daniel Barrett of Greenwich, CT; brother, Jaquelin J. Daniel of Jacksonville, FL; and her beloved uncle and aunt, Ophelia Palmer and Walter Stokes Jr. Survived by four children: Ophelia T. Paine (George), Margaret Allison Thompson (Dr. Robert Baum), Emily T. James (Wynne), Overton Thompson III (Robin), six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, nine step-great-grandchildren, four nieces, and three great-nieces.
She graduated from The Bartram school in Jacksonville, FL, (now part of The Bolles School) in 1940, and from Vassar College in 1944. She volunteered as a nurse's aide during WWII and was a full-time case worker in the home service division of the American Red Cross 1944-46. She and a colleague established the Community House Kindergarten, Forest Hills, NY, 1946-47. She served on the boards of the Junior Leagues of Jacksonville and Nashville and the Junior League Home Board. She volunteered with the ARC canteen at the Blood Bank and in the office at Cheekwood when it first opened. She also served as treasurer of the APTA. Other than family, her main interest was church-related activities. She taught Sunday School and Bible Study at Westminster Presbyterian Church. She was a circle leader, Stephen minister, and elder at Westminster as well as moderator of the Presbyterian Women, who honored her with an "Honorary Life Member" award. At age 85, she completed the Education for Ministry four-year course offered by the School of Theology at Sewanee.
Family history and genealogy were a sideline hobby. She arranged for publication of a book about her great-grandfather General Joseph B. Palmer CSA and also a collection of poems by her uncle Walter Stokes Jr. She was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in TN, Junior League, Centennial Club, Brookmeade Garden Club, International Study Club, Garden Club of Nashville, Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, and Belle Meade Country Club. She was a life member of the Ladies Hermitage Association, YWCA, and Vanderbilt Aid. She was devoted to her faith, family, and friends. She had an inquisitive mind and loved reading, bridge, dogs, and the outdoors. She also loved being surrounded by beauty, color, and flowers.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the clergy and members of Westminster Presbyterian Church, St. George's Episcopal Church, and First Presbyterian Church for their regular visits and especially to the angels at Woodcrest and Blakeford at Home for their expert and loving care. Thanks also to everyone at McCabe Pub for their many kindnesses during her Friday lunches with her son.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 27, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave., Nashville, TN. Visitation with family is 9:30 a.m.
Gifts in her memory may be given to the Community Foundation Mary P. Thompson Fund for Ministry, Education, and Rehabilitation for Women in Prison, Friends of Radnor Lake, Westminster Presbyterian Church, or the charity of one's choice.