Donna Darlene Palmer, 74, Scipio

Donna Darlene Palmer died at 2:58 a.m. Thursday, August 25, 2016, at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. A resident of Scipio, Ind., she was 74.

Darlene was born May 5, 1942, in Rushville, Indiana, to John Robert and Mary Rose (Nance) Ellerman. They preceded her in death at a young age and she was taken to raise by her grandparents, Ora F. and Mary Catherine "Mollie" Nance, who also preceded her in death.

Darlene grew up in southern Hancock County, Ind., graduating from New Palestine (Ind.) High School in 1960 and later from Indiana Business College. She married Stephen Margison of Shelbyville, Ind., and resided in Morristown, Ind., for several years before moving to Columbus, Ind. She married Carlos M. Palmer on August 19, 1972, in nearby Petersville. He survives.

Most recently, Darlene was a homemaker, having previously worked at Reliance Electric and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance in Columbus, Ind.

She enjoyed studying and researching her family genealogy, as well as assisting others with their genealogical research. A collector of dolls, Darlene was a member of Dolls Night Out in Columbus. She loved cats, archeology, travel and nature, and for many years was a volunteer docent at the Fort Worth Nature Center in Texas near where she and Carlos lived. Her favorite pastime, however, was spending time with her children, their spouses and her grandsons.

Besides her husband, Carlos, survivors include a daughter, Karen (Vance) Yelmene of Manitowoc, Wis.; a son, Rodney (Linda) Margison of Bloomington, Ind. (formerly of Nashville, Ind.); two grandsons, B. Tyler Margison and Zachary Margison, both of Bloomington, Ind. (formerly of Nashville, Ind.); a brother, Larry (Ruth) Murphy of Columbus, Ind.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Others preceding her in death include a sister, Mary K. Riggin Zollman of Columbus, Ind.; and aunts Dorothy (Ellerman) Pruet of Rushville, Ind., and F. Ruth Nance of Morristown, Ind.

A funeral service will be held at noon on Monday, August 29, 2016, at Sawyer-Pickett Funeral Home, 115 South State Street in North Vernon, Ind., with the Rev. Donald Bradley presiding. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 10 a.m., also at the funeral home. Per Darlene's wishes, she will be cremated with a private interment ceremony to be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to one of Darlene's favorite organizations: Friends of Felines' Rescue Center, 14597 Power Dam Road, Defiance, Ohio, 43512; Rush County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 54, Rushville, Ind., 46173; or Fort Worth Nature Center, 9601 Fossil Ridge Road, Fort Worth, Texas, 76135