PALMER, Oliver Young 2001-2012
PALMER, BOARDSEN, SOLIE
Posted By: Kermit Kittleson
Date: 6/7/2012 at 21:31:42
#1:
WATERLOO - Oliver Young Palmer, 10, of Waterloo, died Thursday, February 16, at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home.
He was born July 11, 2001, in Waterloo, son of Edward and Stacy Boardsen Palmer. He was a fifth-grade student at Fred Becker Elementary School, formerly Edison Elementary School.
Survived by his parents of Waterloo; a sister, Eden at home; two brothers, Jaren and Phineas, both at home; paternal grandparents, David and Janine Palmer of Waterloo; maternal grandparents, John and Ellen Boardsen of Waterloo; maternal grandmother, Karen Young of Waterloo; paternal great-grandfather, Edward Solie of Utah; and maternal great-grandparents, Warren and Margaret Young of Clinton.
Preceded in death by paternal grandparents, Freeman and Mahala Palmer; paternal great-grandmother, Eva Solie; maternal great-grandparents, Einar and Phyllis Boardsen; and a step-uncle, Alex Swygman.
Services: 11 a.m. Monday at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Garden and Pleasant Drive, Cedar Falls, with private family committal in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Hagarty-Waychoff-Grarup Funeral Service on South Street.
Memorials may be directed to the Oliver Palmer Benefit Account at Veridian Credit Union, in lieu of flowers.
Oliver enjoyed playing baseball, fishing, archery, camping, playing video games, watching movies, and teaching himself how to play the piano. He loved the Iowa Hawkeyes football and basketball teams. He enjoyed attending the Dance Marathon, but most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.
[Waterloo Courier, Sunday, February 19, 2012]
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#2:Oliver Palmer, a Waterloo boy with an inoperable brain tumor, has passed away.
According to family, 10-year-old Oliver passed away around 4:15 a.m. Thursday morning.
Oliver had a pediatric brain stem tumor which was inoperable.
According to the family's blog, Oliver had taken a turn for the worse earlier this week. He was not eating or drinking much and was sleeping almost 20 hours a day.
He was at the hospice home near his house.
Oliver was well-known around the Cedar Valley because of a number of benefits held by friends and family. Oliver was diagnosed just before Christmas in 2009, exactly one year later 50 people including Santa and the Waterloo Fire Department showed up outside his house to sing Christmas carols. Oliver was also a Kid Captain at an Iowa Hawkeyes game in 2011.
Last year, Oliver's family put out a public appeal for cards to help Oliver celebrate his birthday. He received more than 800 cards.
Oliver's visitation will be this Sunday from 4-8 p.m. at Hagarty-Waychoff-Grarup Funeral Service in Waterloo. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Feb. 20, at the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cedar Falls.
From KWWL TV 7, Waterloo --
http://www.kwwl.com/story/16951807/oliver-palmer-passes-away
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#3:WATERLOO - Oliver Palmer, the 10-year-old Waterloo boy who inspired so many, died Thursday morning at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home on Kimball Avenue.
Oliver was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 2009. An MRI in November 2011 showed the cancer had started growing again.
The community rallied around Oliver, holding benefits, visiting his home to sing him carols before Christmas, sending him thousands of cards and answering his call for fleece blankets he wanted distributed to sick children.
"The community support has been overwhelming," said his father, Ed Palmer. "The community just fell in love with that little guy.
"Oliver always looked out for others," his dad said. "If there was someone getting bullied, Oliver would stick up for him."
Ed Palmer told of one boy who was being bullied who was so impressed that Oliver stuck up for him, upon hearing of Oliver's diagnosis, went from house to house collecting change for him.
"He collected $86 in coins and brought them to the house in a jar," Ed Palmer said.
The family has lost track of how many cards were sent and blankets were donated.
"Every day the mailman would deliver three or four crates of mail for him," Ed Palmer said. "We got cards from every state in the nation and from all different countries. There must have been tens of thousands."
Likewise, blankets rolled in.
"We didn't even see them all," Ed Palmer said. "We, ourselves, delivered five truckloads. I wouldn't be surprised if there were 5,000 or more."
The blankets were distributed to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and to St. Vincent De Paul.
Oliver's story even caught the interest of one of his idols. Brandon Flowers, lead singer for the band Killers, flew in to pay Oliver a visit in December. "He held a little private concert right in our living room and brought Oliver some presents," Ed Palmer said.
Oliver had been at the hospice home since Sunday and had been sleeping about 20 hours a day in recent days, but was awake almost all day Wednesday, his dad said.
"His best friend came and read him a book," Ed Palmer said. "And his other good friend read some Valentine's he received."
Both Ed and his wife, Stacey, were with Oliver when he died.
"It was very peaceful," Ed Palmer said. "It's almost like he snuck out the back door."
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hagarty-Waychoff-Grarup Funeral Service, 400 South St., Waterloo.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at Garden Avenue and Pleasant Drive in Cedar Falls. Private family committals will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Waterloo.
Memorial donations can be made to the Oliver Palmer Benefit Account at Veridian Credit Union.
Waterloo Courier, Feb. 16, 2012
NOTES:
People from all over the country followed Oliver's story on a blog the family kept called "Oliver's Journey" (see link below) and through Facebook posts.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos of Oliver.
Oliver's Journey - Blog
Black Hawk Obituaries maintained by Karen De Groote.
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