Tribute to Gene Palm 1951-2026: Wannaska Minnesota Born & Bred

Aurora Borealis over Palm Camp. Image by Gene Palm 1951-2026

On April 5, 2026 Easter morning, my cousin Gene Palm 'walked on,' with relief from all the suffering he had been enduring for six long months, and a smile on his face knowing he had provided his wife and children and grandchildren with the very best of everything he had to give of his love and respect. I spent three of his last days in his home talking and joking about the past; his memory coming and going between his silent gasps of pain, his ever-present smile fading then slowly coming back.

Gene was always a guy with a smile on his face and a cigarette, Diet Coke, coffee, or sometimes beer in hand. He made time to listen when necessary; withheld advice until asked, and always admitted when he was wrong. He seemed genuinely buoyed by a life of charity which he bestowed on his friends and family throughout Minnesota; one example being that he periodically visited the city dump in Aurora for discarded garden tillers, lawn mowers, weed trimmers, and snow blowers to repair, then give away to those in need because he had gotten the machines for free. Reason being, he just enjoyed working on things and helping people out.

Gene told me that they had left Wannaska for the Iron Range after he completed third grade, and then, still sounding quite miffed about it after 67 years, said that the school in Aurora put him in a special language class because of his thick scandinavian brogue, "They thought I couldn't speak English! Couldn't speak English!"

"I couldn't speak English ..."

Despite being under six foot tall, Gene said he wanted to play basketball. But his dad insisted he play ice hockey instead, perhaps to combine his size, strength, and competitiveness. And lo, as his time in the net proved out, Gene become a highly respected high school hockey goalie at Aurora - Hoyt Lakes School.

Gene's son Kaler told me that well before he was born his dad coached a lot of hockey. And when Kaler said he didn't want to play hockey, Gene happily coached all of his baseball teams from T-Ball to Babe Ruth on. He was president of the baseball and football boosters too, and ran the grill and fryer even after Kaler had graduated from high school. He helped with both of his grandson Cal's summer ball teams.

I didn't really know Gene and his brothers, Mike, Doug, and Dale until Gene began coming 'uphome' to Palmville by himself in the 1990s to hunt deer on his family hunting land. My mother and father managed a few trips up here from Iowa, every year of my childhood, that occasionally coincided with Gene's family visits from Aurora. Gene's dad, Ervin, was my mother Violet Palm's third younger brother. Gene's mother Audrey Jensen, was born and raised in Wannaska, making the journey home to Wannaska truly binding for them both which settled into their children's minds as home too. Gene always loved it in Palmville, a place-name he couldn't escape even if he had wanted.

Beginning in 1993, I got to know Gene and his wife Dawn much better. Jokingly, he frequently commented about how much older I was than himself; a difference of a little over two months. But in my experience of working with him, I frequently commented although I was admittedly, 'older,' he was the far better man.

Here is a RAVEN story we published in 2006, about the 30-year construction 1993-2023 of "Palm Camp," initiated in 1993 by Gene and Dawn Palm, and myself cousin Steven Reynolds, with help from Gene's son, Kaler Palm; Gene's oldest brother Mike Palm and his son Scott; second oldest brother Doug Palm and his son Danny; Davidson 'cousins' Paul Haukebo, Kevin Davidson and Ronnie Davidson; and Gene's practically-a-brother Kermit Jorgenson.

Palms & Davidsons Fathers & Sons & And a Steve. Left to right: Doug and Danny Palm; Gene and Kaler Palm; Jeff and Tad Davidson; Steve Reynolds; Mike and Scott Palm; Duane and Paul Haukebo, Kevin & Cole Davidson.

PALM CAMP