Obituary of Kenneth Palmer

Kenneth Lincoln Palmer Longtime Olympia and Rainier resident, Kenneth Lincoln Palmer, Ken to his family and friends, passed away at St. Peter’s Hospital from complications of a stroke at the age of 66. He is survived by his wife, Linda Palmer of Rainier, his sons; Brian Palmer, Bradley Peters, and Jeremy Palmer and their families, numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews and his siblings; Irven Jr. of Rainier, JoAnne Irvena Sanders of Lakeland, FL, Barbara Ann Oudean of Rainier, Noel Allen Palmer of Redding, CA, Etta Marie Taylor, Bertha Louise Kiely, and Linda Diane Erdahl, all of Olympia. Ken attended schools in Olympia and graduated from Olympia High and was then employed by the Weyerhauser Timber Company until he joined the US Navy to serve his country during the Vietnam War. He served as a Navy Corpsman assigned to a Marine platoon where he was awarded the Purple Heart for being wounded and the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action. Following his military service, Ken worked for and retired from the Olympia Fire Department as a fireman, a paramedic and an inspector. His week was not complete unless he could attend the weekly coffee get-together with his fireman friends. Ken was an “outdoors person”. He loved taking his young sons camping and fishing and he enjoyed boating, fishing and hunting with family and friends. In earlier years he enjoyed the hobby of leather craft. Later he enjoyed metal detecting and gold panning. He traveled extensively with his wife Linda in the Southwest and enjoyed adventures in Alaska. Ken enjoyed people. His smile, friendly words and sense of humor will be remembered by all who knew him. We miss him already. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 1:00 pm at Funeral Alternatives, located at South Sound Manor, 455 North Street SE, Tumwater. Ken’s final resting place will be at Tahoma National Cemetery.