William John Palk's Obituary
William John Palk of Annapolis, Maryland, passed away on 16 August 2023 from complications of heart disease. Bill was born on the 4th of July 1946 in Rockville Centre, New York, to the late William Henry Palk and Mildred Marie Palk. The family, including his younger sister, Peggy, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the late 1950s for his father's job with Eastern Airlines, and Bill graduated in 1964 from Georgia Military Academy. After two years at Georgia State University, he joined the Army and served four years in the Army Security Agency, He spent the first year in Monterey, California, in language school, after which he was assigned to Fort Meade, where he met his future wife, Veronica, who survives him. They married in 1971 and moved to Annapolis in 1981. Bill graduated from the University of Maryland and worked for various federal agencies, including the Navy, which brought him to Annapolis. He retired in 2006 from the U.S. Marshals Service. He was predeceased by his parents and sister and is survived by his wife of 52 years, his nephews Johnathan and Tom Short, his cousin Peggy Haase and her husband Joe, as well as numerous other cousins.
His retirement years allowed him to pursue his interest in antique firearms, and he was an active member of Anne Arundel Fish and Game, where he formed numerous close friendships and played a major role, including with the membership process. He had a long-time interest in languages and reading and found the history of WWI particularly fascinating. He played both the piano and trombone in his younger years and continued to enjoy music, especially ballet, opera, Sousa, and ragtime, throughout his life. He was a good and loyal friend and will be sorely missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
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