- Date Of Birth: June 4, 1921
- Date Of Death: January 31, 2016
- State: Connecticut
Shirley Alger Palmieri, of 78 Minor Rd. East Haven, died on January 31, 2016, age 94. After growing up in Norfolk, MA., Shirley joined the Womens Army Corps in 1943 during WWII, and was stationed at the Pentagon in Military Intelligence. During the Korean War, she served in the 8th Air Force Reserve at Ft. Worth, TX. Shirley later took advantage of the G.I. Bill to learn to fly civilian aircraft and became a commercial flight instructor, a career path she left after an incident in which a panicked student pilot nearly crashed their plane, which did not have dual-flight-controls, into a hanger. Over the years, she worked at Dun and Bradstreet, and Raytheon, among others. In 1957, Shirley married Salvatore Palmieri, who owned and operated Palmieri Food Products until his death in 1979; they had one daughter, Dewey Anne. Shirley was an enthusiastic tennis player, seamstress, and an excellent bowler who competed in tournaments throughout the U.S. She was outgoing, fun, and generous with her time and energy. Shirley is survived by her daughter and a sister, Winifred Alger Grafe, 96, of Bushnell, FL., as well as stepchildren, Salvatore Palmieri Jr., Nancy Palmieri Lane, and Patrick Palmieri. Shirley was predeceased by her brother, Ernest E. “Ernie” Alger, a long-time East Haven resident, in 2006.
