Cathy Palmer

Cathy Ann Palmer (Hennessey) passed away at Methodist Hospital on July 18th at the age of 65, after a 21-year battle with breast cancer, and most recently a 7-year long fight with metastatic breast cancer. Cathy was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Dave and LaVera Hennessey. She and her four siblings grew up in Marion, Iowa. Throughout her childhood they traveled the country in their camper visiting historic sites and natural landmarks. She obtained her associates degree in accounting/business at AIB in Des Moines. Cathy stayed in Des Moines after college, where she met her husband of over 43 years. Larry & Cathy welcomed three wonderful children, Amy, Cory, and Matt, and raised their kids in Urbandale, Iowa. Cathy spent 18 years providing in-home daycare to many families. It was a testament to both her work ethic and friendly demeanor that many of these families went on to become lifelong family friends. As her kids got older, Cathy made the switch from in-home daycare provider extraordinaire to the world of accounting. Like her previous job, Cathy’s dedication and hard work combined with her warm and affable personality led to her working with long term clients for many of her 23 years at RSM McGladrey. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, particularly her grandkids. Cathy loved to travel and went on an annual spring break trip to McAllen, Texas, where her parents wintered. Undoubtedly one of the biggest things to happen in her life was being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 44. While this was obviously a devastating point in her life, her Catholic faith helped carry her through it. Her diagnosis created a passion for breast cancer research and the Susan G. Komen foundation, where she spent the next 20 years advocating for breast cancer awareness/research, and raised millions of dollars for breast cancer charitable foundations. Fourteen years after her initial breast cancer diagnosis, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. While it was a terminal diagnosis, it would have been tough for anyone unfamiliar with her condition to realize this. Cathy spent all but the last few months of her life as active as she had ever been in her friends, family and grandchildren’s lives. She greatly impacted the lives of all who knew her, and will be fondly remembered. She passed away surrounded by family, and is survived by her husband, Larry Palmer; children, Amy (Mike) Miller, Cory Palmer & Matt (Bethany) Palmer; grandchildren, Katelyn & Kylie Miller, Natalie & Brody Palmer; mother, LaVera Hennessey; siblings, Alan, Ron, Gary & Kelly Hennessey; nieces, nephews, aunts, uncle and many cousins. She was preceded in death by her father, Dave Hennessey. Visitation will be Friday, July 22nd from 5:00pm-7:00pm at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home in Urbandale. Funeral services will be held at 10:30am Saturday at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Urbandale. A luncheon at the church will follow. Burial will be at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines at 2:00pm. *Please wear a mask to protect all those in attendance. Cathy’s family would like to thank Dr. Buroker and his team at John Stoddard Cancer Center for the extraordinary care she has received throughout the years. Memorials may be made to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in Cathy's honor. Monetary donations will go towards a bench at the duck pond at Glendale Cemetery.