Obituary: Kevin Palmer
Herald and News
Klamath Falls, Oregon
November 4, 2004
Grand Teton National Park employee Kevin Palmer, 50, died Oct. 28, 2004, of a heart attack while hunting with his oldest son Charles on the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyo. At one time, Mr. Palmer had worked at Crater Lake National Park.
For the past eight years, he served as the park’s facility operations manager and roads supervisor.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Mariposa Funeral Home in Mariposa, Calif. Visitation will precede the service from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Another memorial service will be held at noon Wednesday, at Grand Teton National Park in Moose, Wyo. Private interment will be at the family’s private cemetery in Mariposa.
Mr. Palmer, a Native American and member of the Yokut and Chukchansi Indian Tribes, was born Nov. 28, 1953, in Mariposa.
He began his federal career as a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service when he was 18 years old. Within two years, he was selected for a position with the National Park Service at Yosemite National Park on a resource management crew removing trees and stabilizing stream banks.
Seven years later he was transferred into the maintenance division and worked on road crews.
After 15 years at Yosemite National Park, he accepted a position as roads foreman and supervisor at Crater Lake National Park in 1989, managing the the park’s extensive snow plowing operations.
In 1996, he was transferred to Grand Teton National Park. Along with his other duties, he organized and managed the park’s Youth Conservation Corps program and worked regularly with national fire management teams, serving as a fire base camp manager, facility manager, and overall “Jack of all trades” for numerous wildland fire incidents throughout the western part of the United States.
Mr. Palmer was also known for his ability to facilitate hundreds of National Park Service special events, which included numerous presidential visits, visits from foreign heads of state, and large-scale public events and celebrations in various national parks.
Survivors include his wife, the former Pam Icardo; sons Chris of Chiloquin, Charles of Medford and Ben of Bend; mother Lucille Palmer of Mariposa; sisters Rose Ford of Clovis, Calif., Jane Gordon of Onyx, Calif., and Jill Bull of Mariposa; brothers William of Ukiah, Calif., Robbie of Prineville, and Michael of Mariposa; and grandchildren Cierra and Makiah Palmer of Medford.
Cards and notes can be mailed to Pam Palmer, P.O. Box 170, Moose, WY 83012.
Other pages in this section
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- Pendleton creates online blanket special for Crater Lake Trust – November 23, 2004
- Crater Lake to get funds – November 22, 2004
- Falling trees do damage at Crater Lake – November 19, 2004
- Lost at the lake – November 17, 2004
- Crews find lost snowboarders – November 16, 2004
- Missing snowboarders found – November 16, 2004
- Vesta Lee Fulton – November 15, 2004
- Officials hold dedication for 500-mile scenic byway – October 15, 2004
- Byway hits milestone: celebration of Volcanic Legacy All American Road planned for Thursday – October 12, 2004
- Conference to celebrate frontier poet – September 24, 2004
- Two hikes, two views – September 20, 2004
- Science, learning center part of park renovation – September 14, 2004
- Crater Lake holds status as area’s primary tourist draw – September 13, 2004
- Obituary: Rex Laverne Ash – September 07, 2004
- Hike of the week: Mt. Scott gives bird’s-eye view of Crater Lake – September 3, 2004
- Geologist’s talk rebuilds a mountain – August 25, 2004
- Lindgren, Hanlin repeat as Crater Lake Rim Run winners – August 16, 2004
- Shields remembers first Crater Lake races – August 16, 2004
- Ten small fires burn in Crater Lake park area – August 16, 2004
- Oh Crater Lake – poetry about the lake – August 9, 2004
- Friends of Crater Lake to repair Annie Creek – August 03, 2004
- Park publications on sale at Great Basin Visitor Center – August 02, 2004
- Astronomy programs set for this weekend – July 29, 2004
- Pied Piper of Astronomy’s to present program: John Dobson – July 15, 2004
- Crater Lake to reduce fire hazards – July 02, 2004
- Editorial: Should this be a first ‘view’ of Crater Lake? – July 1, 2004
- Crater Lake’s summer program cut – June 29, 2004
- Crater Lake road ready for drivers Wednesday – June 15, 2004
- Governor OKs Crater Lake for state’s quarter – May 25, 2004
- Chamber has big ideas for new quarter, promotions – May 18, 2004
- Postcards from the Rim – April 26, 2004
- Guidebooks help reveal new ways to explore Oregon – April 25, 2004
- Cycle Oregon to tour Crater Lake – February 29, 2004
- Crater Lake tops list of specialty plates, raises $1.1 million – February 26, 2004
- Ole Norman Lunde – February 24, 2004
- Crater ski patrol launches effort for new ski signs – February 20, 2004
- It’s plow it out, lit snow, plow it out at Crater Lake – February 19, 2004
- Ski races at Crater Lake on Saturday – February 4, 2004
- What’s in a name? Chatting with Lewis L. McArthur – February 4, 2004
- Using cross country skis or snowshoes, one can experience Crater Lake’s winter wilderness – February 02, 2004
- Crater Lake license plates raise more than money – January 27, 2004
