Lola Mae Palmer Oliver passed away peacefully in Blanding, Utah on November 15, 2024, at the age of 90.
There are people who shape the world not by grand gestures, but by the quiet steady work of their hands and hearts. Lola Mae Palmer Oliver was one of these people. She lived rooted in the soil of sacrifice and love, raising six children, and holding them together through storms that might have torn others apart.
Lola was born in Blanding, Utah on September 4, 1934, to Joe M. Palmer and Hilda Grace Rose their 3rd child. She died in Blanding, Utah with her two daughters, Deanna and Sherry, by her side on November 15, 2024. At 14, she moved with her family to Moab where she met her future husband, John Alonzo (Lonnie) Oliver. They were married on August 28, 1951. Together they had 4 daughters and 2 sons. For almost 70 years, she has lived, worked, and served in Moab. In her latter years, Parkinson’s disease took its toll on her ability to perform everyday tasks that she had always done. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Tribute from a grandson: Oh how she loved her grandchildren. To us, she wasn’t just a grandmother; she was a warm light in a cold world. Her love was endless, not flashy or loud, but steady, like the tide. She wasn’t the kind of person you’d write books about, but she should have been. Because people like her are the true heroes of the world—the ones who give everything and ask for nothing, who leave their mark not in monuments but in the hearts of those they’ve cared for. She was a grandmother, a mother, a sister, a friend. And she was ours. We’ll carry her with us, always.
Lola, an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has served and given her means and time to help others. She always worked, sometimes keeping several jobs to help Lonnie support and raise their family. She was a telephone operator for 18 years, using the old way of connecting people to people so they could talk. Her voice was easily recognized, and others often greeted her, “Hi Lola, connect me …….”
Lola did her share of waiting tables, being a motel clerk or breakfast room manager, etc, etc. Some of her many talents included sewing matching outfits for her children, tying blankets and quilts of varying sizes, and cooking treats and meals for others. Daycare for working mothers for years turned her home into a classroom of toys, books, mats, and snacks for young children.
Lola was preceded in death by her husband in March 2000; by her daughters, Sandra Bea and Lana Rose; and by a grandson, Nick Haas. She is survived by 4 children, Sherry Lee Porter (Mike) of Blanding, John Calvin (Nita) of Moab, Deanna Putnam Oliver and Jeff Palmer of St George and currently Naturita, Colorado; 17 grandchildren; 49 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren. She is loved and adored by her posterity, old and young, and by her 2 living sisters, Joan Burgess of St George and Edna Rogers of Monticello, and by her sisters-in-law, Clyda Palmer of Blanding and Dixie Dalton of Moab.
Memorial services and a celebration of her life will be held on November 23 at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 475 W 400 North, Moab.
You may send tributes to the family at SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
