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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 3, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 3, 2020
 
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Page A-10 Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Sept. 2020 continued from page A—1 Betty was born in Morton and grew up in Tacoma and Algona. She gradu- ated from Auburn High School in 1955 and then moved to Fresno, Cali— fornia, to attend Bible college. Gil was born in Dallas, at the same hospital where President John F. Kennedy would later die, he pointed out. His father worked as a coal min- ', er, and Gil lived in Oklahoma, Iowa, Idaho and Wyoming. His father’s shipyard job brought the family to Richmond, California, in 1941, when Gil was about 10. At 16, Gil quit school to serve as a youth minister for the Church of God. Two years later, he spoke at a state convention at West Coast Bible Col- lege in Fresno, where he met Betty. After the couple married, Gil was ordained as a minister. The couple traveled the country staging religious revivals.,For two years, Gil served as the state youth and Christian educa- tion director for the Church of God in New Mexico. After six months as missionaries in Hawaii, Gil took the same state post in Idaho for two years. Son Dean was born in 1962, Patrick in 1969. i In 1965, Gil followed up on an epiphany: “I feel like I needed to join the Army.” He added, “I could talk to the guys, especially if there was a conflic .” ' Instead of enlisting as a chaplain, Gil learned to pilot helicopters. He WV 3‘» 0&5?“ m§ W a Betty Palmer, who has been married to Gil for 64 years In 1981, Gil Palmer survived a helicopter crash on a 13,000-foot peak in Costa Rica. No one was injured. “The good Lord took care of us,” he said. Courtesy photo flew for 18 1/2 years, including three combat tours in Vietnam. The men nicknamed Gil “Deacon.” “They would say, ‘We know you’re a minister, but you’re not a paid chap- lain. Can we talk to you?’ Because I was one of them,” he said. One night, a traumatized young soldier approached Gil. His father had Kitten Rescue of Mason County Right now we have young and adult cats'available for adoption. Indoor only‘and a warm lap to sit on are ours and the kitties «request. Healthy and well adjusted, our kitties want their own home and family to love. For more information please go to our website kittenresq.net or call us at (360)— 427—3167. Fqu Friar/tots Looleiwg for a Home Sponsored by: We have created a low-stress, healthy environment ‘ with soft lighting, music, a regular exercise program, and frequent, died the week before, and he had just received a “Dear John” letter from his fiancee announcing she was going to marry another man. Gil talked the man off the ledge. ‘ V . “He said, ‘I was heading out to the perimeter to blow my brains out’ It was worth being there for that one person,” he said. Couple: Palmers celebrate 64th wedding anniversary " Gil was hit with shrapnel during his first tour of Vietnam in 1968-69, but flew the next day. During his second tour in 1970-71, he was medi- . vaced to Okinawa with back injuries. His last tour lasted 90 days in 1972. The couple spent two years sta- tioned in Germany, and then Panama for three years. In 1981, shifting winds caused Gil’s helicopter to crash into the side of a 13,000-foot moun— tain in Costa Rica; everyone on board survived. “The good Lord took care of us,” he said. Gil then taught helicopter instruc— tors in Alabama. He retired from the service in 1986. During their time in Alabama, Betty and her sons would drive 2,741 miles to visit her parents in Shelton. Gil’s mother lived in Shorecrest. In September 1989, the family moved to the house where the couple still lives in Shelton’s Hillcrest neighborhood. The couple jdined the Old Time Fiddlers District 5. He plays guitar, and she plays ukulele, piano and ac- cordion, and learned the fiddle after joining the group. “I thinkmusic has really helped us as a family,” Betty said. Asked how a marriage can survive 64 years, Betty laughed and said, “He’s gone a lot!” Gil said love, dedication and hav— ing fun are keys. “You can always work it out, if you really try.” ' Betty has one more piece of advice for marital bliss: “Learn to bake pie.” individualized attention. We treat every pet with ' affection, respect, and kindness. (360) 426-3052 270 SE Spring Place Shelton, Washington 98584 E-ma’il: sylvan@hctc.com