Theadora (Teddy) Sue Palmer

On Sunday, October 20th, Theadora (Teddy) Sue Palmer ran barefoot into heaven. We are sure that the horns were blowing as her greyhounds, horses, and family rejoiced at her arrival. Theadora was born ass backwards on January 3rd, 1945, to Ted and Ruth Saum of Springdale, AR. “Little Ted” was a force to be reckoned with. Not much for frilly dresses and proper southern etiquette, she preferred to tear off her church clothes and run around barefoot with her hunting dog, Trigger. Her daddy taught her to shoot a gun better than any boy, to ride a horse bareback, barrel race, and gamble occasionally. Thank goodness they had her angel mom, Ruth, to keep them both in line. Teddy graduated from Springdale High School in 1963. She attended State Teachers College, where she festooned the halls and eventually earned her master’s degree. One day, cruising the streets in her Ford Mustang, she ran into Russell Roy Palmer of Springdale, AR. They quickly fell in love and were married on August 27th of 1967. She traveled the world with Russ and was a proud Air Force Wife. Officer’s wives were not supposed to work back then, but Teddy was never one for following the rules. She started a small school for handicap children while they were in Spain and stashed away her money in her favorite books. The happy couple eventually settled in Tulsa, OK. Teddy worked for American Airlines, then Getty Oil Company, and eventually became an exceptional Human Resource Manager for the City of Tulsa. They had two children, Triere and Andrew Palmer. Sometime in the late 90’s, Teddy fell in love with greyhound dogs. After learning about the horrible way retired racing dogs were treated, she started fostering and adopting as many greyhounds as she could fit in her house. She never did anything small, so she decided to go ahead and retire herself so that she could devote all her energy and resources into greyhound rescue. She moved to the country and built a state-of-the-art kennel with her own money so that she could take on more. She founded Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption in 2002 and, at last count, had rescued 8,500 greyhounds. Unfortunately, as Teddy aged, she battled aggressive dementia. When it got bad, her daughter moved her to Columbia, MO so that she could be close to her husband and family. In memory care, Teddy was every bit as feisty and incredible as she had always been. She was the life of the party! She would offer a story, a stolen quilt, or the shirt off her neighbor’s back to anyone who came around. The impact that she had in her final years was incredible to witness. She was so loved by the staff and residents alike. The family would like to thank Mill Creek Arbors for the love and care that went above and beyond. Teddy is survived by her husband, Russ Palmer; her daughter and son-in-law, Triere and Brandon Boyer; her son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Angela Palmer; five grandchildren (Coehn, Brylee, Aieyden, Kaysen, and Kyngsten); and many friends. We will lay our greyhound whispering cowgirl to rest with a graveside service at 2 pm on Saturday, October 26th, 2024, at Bluff Cemetery in Springdale, AR. Private viewing will be available at Sisco Funeral Chapel starting at 1 pm the day of her service, followed by a procession to the cemetery.

Theadora (Teddy) Sue Palmer

January 3, 1945 - October 20, 2024