Mark Dean Palmer

We all contain multitudes, and Mark Dean Palmer, born March 6, 1956 was no exception. Family fondly remembers his willingness to be whimsical and silly. He would sing, play the few songs he knew on the guitar with gusto, drive too fast, order too many cheeseburgers just to see if we could finish them, and gracefully throw a football to neighborhood kids who would congregate in the large backyard of his childhood home, where he also raised his own children.

The stories we repeat seem to be our attempts to make sense of a life. Some of Mark’s favorites were his brother’s sleepwalking phase, his adventures destroying his back in a family rodeo, his time playing middle linebacker at Clearfield High School, and recounting family lore about his father’s time in World War II.

Some stories for the family encapsulate Mark’s best qualities. There was his response when April deeply gouged his new vehicle while backing out of the driveway. Without a hint of anger, he kindly said, “it looks better with a racing stripe,” There were also the times he would come down to “punish” the kids with his belt and feign punishment while they played along, yelping as he hit walls, beds, and any other inanimate objects in the room.

Mark’s life was mostly spent in Syracuse and Provo, Utah with the exception of two years from 1975 to 1977 when he served an LDS mission in London England. He was awarded a Juris Doctorate from Brigham Young University (BYU) and practiced law—primarily estate planning—and later worked at BYU where he helped facilitate donations to the university.

Mark’s family—including his wife of 49 years, Joan Mitchell Palmer; their five children, April, Tyler, Joshua, Barbara, and Dallin; 23 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren—have found solace in being together and saying goodbye.

Mark passed peacefully on August 26, 2026.

A private family memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation made in Mark’s name to the BYU General Scholarship Fund.

Arrangements entrusted to Lindquist’s Kaysville Mortuary, 400 N. Main St., Kaysville, Utah.

https://www.lindquistmortuary.com/obituaries/mark-palmer-2026