Caroline Massey Palmgren, 80, formally of Chattanooga, passed away on Sunday, September 1, 2024, in Madison, AL, after a short illness.

A native of Lookout Mountain, TN, her family owned the Massey Food Market where she spent her formative years. She was a 1963 graduate of Chattanooga High School and received a B.S. in Accounting from Tennessee Wesleyan College.

Caroline was a trailblazer beginning her career in Atlanta as the first female auditor for the Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare in the late 1960s. She married Donald T. Palmgren and resided in New York and Connecticut before returning to Chattanooga to start a family raising two boys. She spent many years as an auditor for the Chattanooga Housing Authority before retiring as an accountant for the Raines Group.

She loved cheering for the Lady Vols and Tennessee football, plus was a huge history buff. She helped author Tales from the Mountain which collected stories of the pioneer Massey and McCallie families of Lookout Mountain.

Caroline was preceded in death by her husband, Donald T. Palmgren; her father, Joe Massey; mother, Lelia Mae McCallie; brother, Robert E. Massey; nephew, Billy Massey; brother, Joe Massey, Jr., and brother-in-law, Fred Palmgren.

She is survived by her sister, Barbara Massey; sister-in-law, Nancy Massey, sister-in-law, Julann "Sue" Palmgren; son, Christopher (Kelli) Palmgren; grandson, Iain Palmgren; son, Donald T. (Judi) Palmgren, Jr., plus several nieces and nephews.

The family will have a private graveside service at Chattanooga National Cemetery where she will be laid to rest with her husband, Donald.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Madison Hospital for their loving care for Caroline.

Please share your memories and express condolences to the family on their guestbook.