West Valley City, Utah – An elderly Utah couple found dead on a central Utah road Tuesday are believed to have died from exposure, police said Wednesday.
The bodies of Elton Reed Palmer and his wife, LoaFae, both 74, were found on State Road 29 in Sanpete County, about 7 miles west of the Emery County line. The couple’s car was located about 4 miles west of the line, stuck in the snow.
The couple was in Orangeville on Sunday for a farewell celebration for their granddaughter, who is leaving for an LDS mission. Their daughter, Shauna Lee Gardner, said the couple left Orangeville about 2 p.m. Sunday to return to West Valley City.
Fae Palmer didn’t like traveling on U.S. 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon, and the couple must have decided to take a route on State Road 29, Gardner said.
The couple’s Cadillac became stuck in the snow on a gravel section of the road that authorities say is impassable in winter. The Emery County Sheriff’s Office said a passer-by reported the abandoned car on Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Emery County sheriff’s deputies on snowmobiles followed footprints going west from the vehicle. Fae Palmer’s body was found about 3 miles from the car. Her husband’s body was about 3 1/2 miles from the car.
Their car had gasoline in its tank, which makes authorities believe the couple began walking shortly after the car became stuck in the snow. Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said they were not wearing warm clothes.
The couple were walking toward Ephraim, about 30 miles away, and there are no houses or lodges along the way, Guymon said.
Residents in West Valley City’s Academy Park neighborhood, where the Palmers lived, choked up Wednesday as they remembered the couple.
From 1979 to 1982, Reed Palmer represented the area in the Utah House. He sat on improvement associations and was credited with helping to bring the neighborhood a park known today as Welcker Memorial Park.
A sign on the Palmers’ house says “Reed’s Bike & Trike.” But Reed Palmer didn’t run much of a business. He gave away a lot more bicycles than he sold, and he seldom charged any child for a repair.
“Every child in the neighborhood knew if they had a flat tire on a bike or a scooter, they could go to Reed and he would fix it,” said Catherine Solomon, a neighbor to Palmer and his wife.
“Reed was Mr. Academy Park,” said resident Joe Praag. “He did a lot for this neighborhood.” Tammy Baldwin, one of their four daughters, said her father took up fixing bicycles after he retired.
He would introduce himself to new neighbors and ask if the children had bikes, Baldwin said. If kids didn’t have bikes, he would give them one, often at Christmas, she said.
“He would fix them for a hug if they didn’t have money.” Reed Palmer had retired from working as a Realtor and for Deseret Bakery. Fae Palmer had earlier worked at a floral shop.
(The Salt Lake Tribune is a member of the ap News Service.)
