William LeRoy “Bill” Palmer, 99, of Kingsport, Tenn., died Nov. 25, 2020.
A native of Colorado, he attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., while working for the U.S. Department of State. He was a veteran of World War II and a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C., later teaching New Testament Koine Greek there and serving as president of Southeastern alumni both at the national level and state, in both South Carolina and Tennessee. He served as first vice president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and president of the South Carolina Baptist Pastors Conference, and as first vice president and president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He was also active in Charleston and Greenville Baptist associations, as well as several associational missions in Tennessee and Virginia. He was a trustee of Baptist College at Charleston (now Charleston Southern University) and Carson-Newman University, Tenn. He served as a commissioner for the Education Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Ellen Bourne Palmer, three children, four granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.