Obituary of Richard Albert Palm

Richard "Rich" Albert Palm was born February 10, 1947 in Evergreen Park, Illinois to Clarence and Elsie Palm. He grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from Bremen High School in 1965. Richard joined the U.S. Army and served in The First Air Calvary Division in various areas of Vietnam in 1967-1968. After returning home to Illinois, he met Diane Evans and in 1969 they married. On a vacation to the Colorado Springs area in 1971, Richard and Diane fell in love with the Rocky Mountains and were determined to make a new life there. In 1974 their dream came true when they purchased property in the Black Forest area and built a home. Richard loved the solitude of the woods there at the house and all the natural beauty and wonder that Colorado had to offer. Richard enjoyed the Colorado Rockies through being a member of a four-wheel drive club, hunting, camping and would always call Colorado his home. Richard spent 30+ years as a mechanic and welder in the Colorado Springs area, and also operated an auto repair and welding business at his Black Forest home, and it was here that he was at his most fulfilled. For decades, Richard dedicated his efforts to care for his customer's vehicles and many of those customers became like family. Well into his retirement years, Richard worked in his repair shop nearly every day. Richard left this world March 24, 2019 and enjoyed the rugged outdoor beauty of his beloved Colorado till his last day. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Diane Kay Palm of Black Forest; sons, Tom (Kayla) Palm of Black Forest, Colorado, Travis Palm of Black Forest, Colorado and Mark Palm of Elko, Nevada; grandchildren, Brayden, Avery and Hartly; sisters, Karen (Phil) McMahon and Kathy (Ed) Englert; and brother, Robert.The Palm's ask that in lieu of cards or flowers, donations can be made in Richard's memory to Victory Service Dogs at www.victorysd.org or 719-619-9336.