Marie Navarre Palermo's Obituary
Marie Navarre Palermo passed away peacefully on Feb 28, 2019 at the age of 84. She was born in New Orleans, LA on Aug 14, 1934 to Roy and Lena Laciura. She married Herman Navarre in 1952 and shortly after moved to Hialeah, FL. They adopted their daughter, JoAnn, in 1962 and moved to Fort Myers in 1968 where she worked for the Lee County School District for 34 years. In 1986 their granddaughter, Stephanie, was born and quickly became the center of their universe. After the passing of Herman in 2000, she met and married Raymond Palermo in 2002. She enjoyed life as a snowbird, traveling from Sebring, FL to Erie, PA until his passing in 2011. She then returned to Fort Myers where she lived out her life at Villa Francisco.As a devout Catholic, she generously gave her time and energy ministering to others. She attended mass daily often praying out loud for those in need. She cooked meals for others who couldn’t, visited the elderly who had no one, and helped with the housework of those who were struggling. Her kind and generous spirit touched countless lives, both young and old, and she became a Nana-Bug to all.She enjoyed cooking and baking for others and was responsible for Monday Morning coffee for her friends at the Villa for many years. Her fresh baked treats were a joy to all who attended and to those fortunate enough to receive a container of her infamous chocolate cookies at Christmas. She loved to crochet and her colorful afghans have adorned the homes of family and friends. However her favorite moments were those spent with her daughter and granddaughter. They traveled together, cooked together, and shared their love of sarcastic humor and puns. She loved animals and even helped with her daughter’s pet sitting business when she could. She epitomized the meaning of true friendship and quiet, faithful service to others.She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Virginia Jones, both her husbands and her son-in-law, Rodney Hand. She is survived by her daughter, JoAnn Navarre, granddaughter Stephanie Hand, sister and brother-in-law Dotsy and Jimmy Taylor, and several nieces and nephews, their families and a multitude of friends.A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 10am at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church located at 2057 Cleveland Ave in Fort Myers. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 from 4pm to 7pm at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens located at 1589 Colonial Blvd in Fort Myers.In lieu of flowers, Marie and the family ask that donations be made to Parker’s Rainbow Bridge Rescue in Cape Coral, FL. Checks may be made out to the rescue and mailed directly to JoAnn or the rescue or you may donate online at the link below in memory of Marie.https://facebook.com/parkersrainbowbridgerescue/To share a story or photo, leave a tribute or to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time please visit Marie’s memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sigh her guestbook.
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