Raymond Palmer was born on November 15, 1966 in St. Ann’s, Jamaica. He has five brothers and one sister. Raymond migrated to Canada in March of 1974. He lived in Toronto and attended public schools there, and even while living in "rough areas" such as the Jane and Finch neighbourhood, he says he had "excellent high school teachers that told me not to settle and to always reach for the top". During this time Raymond also played sports, mostly football.
Raymond attended the University of Windsor from 1987 to 1990, receiving a Bachelors Degree. While there, he met his future wife, whom he married in August of 1990. Together the couple has four children, two boys and two girls. Their eldest daughter also graduated from the University of Windsor, while their sons attended Algonquin College in Ottawa and George Brown College in Toronto. The couple's youngest daughter is in her last year at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama.
Currently, Raymond works for Greyhound Canada in Toronto, where he began in 1992 as a driver. After 10 years of driving, he took a management position, first serving as a Dispatcher Supervisor, then Dispatch Manager. Later, Raymond became Operations Manager and finally Area City Manager, which is the position he currently holds.