Jean Palmer

August 26, 1931 - October 25, 2022

Jean Lattner Palmer August 26th, 1931-October 25, 2022

Jean Lattner Palmer died peacefully in her sleep on October 25th in San Francisco, CA at the age of 91. She was born to Fredric P. G. Lattner and Martha Morton Lattner in Omaha, Nebraska. Her earliest days were in Dubuque, Iowa, followed by her formative years in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jean attended Connecticut College, where her classmates endearingly nicknamed her “Slim.” After graduation in 1952, she moved to San Francisco, engaging in secretarial work for several years. Out with friends one night at The Buena Vista Cafe near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, she met and soon fell in love with James E. Palmer, an architect and avid sailor from the south shore of Long Island, New York. They had 59 years of marriage before his passing in 2019.

Jean was very proud of her great-grandfather J. Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day. She frequently noted the fact that, unlike other holidays which “reposed on the past, Arbor Day proposes for the future.” Like her mother, she made many visits to Nebraska City, Nebraska to celebrate the annual holiday and to share its importance with her children and grandchildren.

Jean volunteered and then she volunteered some more. She was involved with school PTAs, San Francisco Junior League Events, The Children’s Garden, the Colonial Dames and their Octagon House, the Audubon Canyon Ranch, San Francisco Museum Auxiliary - Bouquets to Arts, and the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. To all these endeavors, she brought her professional skills as an interior decorator, a profession she practiced for more than 40 years. Anyone who came to the Palmer house in San Francisco would see Jean’s good taste and style, which always came with a bit of whimsy.

A social being to her core, she loved to entertain. Lunches, dinners, small groups and large… she put on a show. Jean loved San Francisco. She enjoyed sharing the city with visitors, giving guests a ten-cent driving tour. As a member of the International Hospitality Center, she welcomed guests from around the world to her home for enriching conversation and cultural exchange.

When she wasn’t hosting travelers, she was traveling the world with her family and friends, successfully landing on all seven continents.

Jean was a devoted mother and grandmother, affectionately called “Tutu” by her family. She is survived by daughters Martha Callan (Bill), Boatie Ward (John), Suzie Kabeieseman (Bill), and son Samuel Palmer (Suzanne). Grandchildren Matthew Callan, Courtney Callan, Mackenzie Ward, Karl Kabeiseman, Fritz Kabeiseman, and stepgranddaughter, Chutney Ward.

If you wish to honor her in some way, please consider a gift to The Arbor Day Foundation: www.ArborDay. org.