Altogether<br/>4307 Vineland Road, Suite H-17-19, Orlando, FL 32811<br/>For more information, visit our website at <a href='www.altogetherfuneral.com'>www.altogetherfuneral.com</a><br/>Copyright © 2025 FPG Intermediate Holdco, LLC

Remembrances in lieu of flowers may be made online or mailed:

https://appsor.providence.org/giving/?funds=77

Providence Hospice, Attention: Donations 

6410 NE Halsey Suite 300 

Palma Elene McGavin 

April 6th, 1930 - May 15, 2016 

Palma was born in Portland, Oregon as the seventh of nine children to Norwegian immigrants, Tom and Ida Johnson. The name Palma was suggested by her older brother John who had a close friend from college with the name. Her father nicknamed her “Polly” and was the only one to ever call her that. She loved tagging along with her father as he did various chores. She loved softball, kick the can, hide and seek, red rover, and driving her brother’s tractor. It wasn’t surprising that some of her eight sisters tried to discourage her tomboyishness. She felt affirmed and vindicated, however, when her mother, a woman of few but powerful words, ended one of these attempts by saying definitively “she vill be awlll-vrite”. Of her childhood, Palma fondly recalled coming home from school to her mother’s freshly made bread and strawberry jam. She proudly spoke of breakfasts of Norwegian pancakes made over a fire in the park for the entire family, her mother happily hosting the Seattle Pacific Basketball team for a meal and overnight stay in their home, and her mother’s unwavering, selfless devotion to her family. She would shake her head as she relayed how her father would share a spoon of his ice cream with each child. The thing that made it odd was that if the ice cream arrived after bedtime, he would do this even after they were sound asleep and it was a somewhat jarring sensation to be awoken by a spoon of the delicious, yet cold, substance. One of her most treasured childhood memories was giggling in bed with her sisters. The most significant influence in her childhood, however, was Palma’s witnessing her parents live out their deep Christian faith. With that experience as a foundation, she accepted Jesus as her Savior at 8 years old and never wavered in her faith. 

She was, at heart, a fun-loving and athletic girl and boys liked her. When a boy gave her a ring at the age of 17, her mother immediately and firmly told her that she may not wear the ring to school or on her finger. Instead, she was allowed to wear the ring on a chain around her neck. She never challenged that instruction. A second engagement during her freshman year in college ended tragically when the young man fell while working on the San Diego docks. Flying to his funeral was her first trip on an airplane. She lettered as an all-around athlete playing basketball, volleyball, and track in college. Palma met Maynard ‘Mac” McGavin over a dining table at Seattle Pacific College after everyone else had left the table and they found themselves alone. They chatted and agreed to their first date which was to play tennis. “Mac” had lost his parents as a young child and was a World War II Navy Veteran who had recently discharged from the service and re-committed his life to Christ. They discussed their faith, Mac’s intentions to become a pastor, and talked about marriage within two weeks. He gave her a ring in three months and they were married by nine months. They married around Christmas-time at Ladd’s Addition Evangelical Church. In her junior year, Palma gave up her college studies in education and music to serve as Mac’s partner in their life-long ministry together. 

With her solid family background and faith, Mac trusted Palma’s counsel on all matters of life. Sheryl and Cindy were born just a year apart before their first church appointment. The first church they pastored was the Liberal Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church in Molalla, 

Oregon. They were there for five years and made powerful life-long friends; Jane and Jill were born during their years at that church. Stephen was born after they moved to Harmony EUB (which became Harmony Evangelical Church of North America, ECNA, during their tenure). By age 30, Mac and Palma had five children. The oldest child was eight and they managed on a meager pastor’s salary. Palma was mindful of the family finances and was committed that they would not be dependent on their children in their old age. The family spent 17 years at Harmony and Stephen moved with them to Middle Grove in Salem for his senior year in high school. 

While Palma always had a garden, she grew her most fantastic gardens at Harmony full of a wide variety of vegetables. She - and the family - picked cherries and pears from her own yard and other fruit from local fields and orchards. She – and the family – pitted, sliced, diced, peeled, canned, froze, and/or made jam of all of the produce they didn’t share with neighbors. While completely in command in the kitchen, she did not hesitate to work right alongside Mac, and later Stephen in non-traditional roles for women including, for example, the various steps involved in acquiring and preparing firewood to keep their wood stove burning through-out the winter to heat the house. 

Under Palma’s direction, they re-landscaped both the parsonage and the church. She planted lilacs, roses, rhododendrons, clematis, flowers of every kind, fruit trees and even Christmas trees at one point. They remodeled the Harmony parsonage. After all, originally it had only two small bedrooms and one exceptionally small bathroom, and they were a family of seven. Their dream of homeownership was enabled by an initial investment in a plot of land they were persuaded to buy from a Harmony church member for a discounted price. Palma orchestrated family tent-camping vacations for their five little children. She made sure the packing included ironed dresses for the girls to attend local churches on Sunday as well as all of the food and equipment needed for the hiking, fishing and swimming expeditions across the State parks in Oregon and Washington. She usually caught the most fish and incidentally won at her favorite board game, Scrabble for many years. One of the Kah-Nee-Ta trips was particularly memorable – ask any of the children. While she was not a confident swimmer herself, she and Mac made sure all of the children were good swimmers and taught the children to love rivers, the ocean, and the outdoors. They also made viewing football and basketball games together a party. These gatherings and watching Bonanza together as a family on Sunday afternoon and evening, were regular traditions. 

Saturdays, however, were big days of preparation for Sundays. For the children, chores consumed at least the morning on Saturday. For Palma, it was all day, every day. But, on Saturday, very specifically, the house was cleaned, the cars were washed, the laundry was done, the lawn was mowed, special cakes and pies were baked, and the ironing was done. Palma even ironed the sheets and pillow cases with a mangle – did anyone else ever have a mangle? But, back to the food …The Sunday meals were extravagant home-cooked affairs and prepared in advance to serve only shortly after the church service ended, and included roasts, mashed potatoes, gravy and “the works” including the wonderful desserts from the day before. Last 

minute guests were always welcome and pretty common. Making fudge and popcorn later and watching football games in the afternoon, and then Bonanza in the evening was a regular tradition - after the Sunday night service, of course. 

Palma was a frequent and requested soloist at church services, weddings and funerals. She served as the church choir director, women’s ministry leader, leader of congregational singing, children’s ministry director, Sunday school and Bible study teacher, regularly hosted a variety of programs and events at the church and parsonage, and counseled and advised Mac, church members, seminary students, pastors, and the general public “as needed.” She was most proud, though, when a mentee and Psychologist friend asked her to work for him on an inpatient psychiatric unit as a mental health counselor. Palma also felt blessed to have had the opportunity to care for her mother in their home for 11 of her later years. And, with generous help from her sisters in gratitude for this care, Mac and Palma enjoyed a special trip traveling to Israel (for 6 weeks). She also traveled to Norway to see relatives, more than once, and visited some other European countries while she was in the area. She, Mac and different combinations of their children also made multiple family or church-related trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada and Alaska and drove to California, Mexico, North Dakota, and Texas. Mac “retired” to part-time with their move to Tremont Evangelical Church and they led the Seniors Ministry there for many years making many special friendships that endured until Palma’s death. 

After Mac’s death in 2005, Palma welcomed nine great-grandchildren into the world, fed the birds and hummingbirds – year round, remodeled her house - putting in wood floors, and taking out walls and a closet, spent precious time with her sisters, traveled to see her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, looked forward to each new great-grandchild including three new babies in 2016 (all here today) and four step-great grandchildren (formally joining the family in the coming weeks with Derek’s marriage), and continued to counsel all whom God brought into her circle. She treasured the hours she spent praying with, listening to the dreams, questions, and heart-breaks of, and expressing her confidence in God’s grand plan for the lives of the many she loved and continued to gather new friends with every year. In return, she received many blessings, the praise, devotion and gratitude of many who wrote or voiced their appreciation for the powerful role she played in changing their lives, and the peace of God. There are a few stories we could tell, and more that we’re sure she never mentioned. One story she shared was that of a man from their years in Middle Grove who sought her out in recent years to thank her for her role in his life and to seek God. She recalled him well because it was his wife who knocked on their door late night fearing that her husband may take her life. They took her in without hesitation. This man came to Palma thanking her for what she and Mac did for his wife and prayed with Palma to turn his life over to God. Her active life continued as it began, such that even in her final weeks when one called Palma, if the line wasn’t busy, the call frequently interrupted, or was interrupted by, a steady stream of people at her door. 

Regardless of who knocked or called, though, she treasured her children most of all. Okay, we’ll it admit it, honestly – she flat bragged on us. Of her children, she particularly valued and 

appreciated Sheryl’s loving family leadership and administrative thoroughness, she delighted in Cindy’s remarkable talents, their shared joie de vivre, and witnessing the realization of Cindy’s dreams, she found deep comfort in Jane’s faithful and gentle responsiveness to her every need, she was proud of Jill’s building on her legacy as a mental health counselor, and she relied utterly upon the devotion, industriousness and attentive company of Stephen and Jake (not so much Tucker, the cat). 

Now, as her grieving children, we see that through God’s grace and mighty hand, we are blessed to witness and celebrate what a special gift our mother has been to so many. She was His faithful servant by caring for us, her biological children, as well as you, her “adopted” and beloved children. I hope and trust that we will, together, serve Him so that the multitude of seeds she planted will continue to grow and bear fruit – and for much, much longer than the 6 Sun Gold and Early Girl tomato plants planted in the soil of her garden only days before her death. 

Thank you.

Service Information

When words can't fully express what we want to say, sometimes a small gift can. Visit our Memorial Store for personalized gifts, keepsake jewelry and to plant a memorial tree.

We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and analyze site traffic.
<privacyLink>Privacy Policy</privacyLink>.

<firstParagraph>We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website, store your preferences, and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you. These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent.</firstParagraph><secondParagraph>You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience.</secondParagraph>

<firstParagraph>We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.</firstParagraph><secondParagraph>The cookies that are categorized as 'Necessary' are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site.</secondParagraph>

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

Analytics

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

Functional

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Necessary

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Performance

Customize Cookie Preferences

Verification Successful!

New Message

The following files could not be uploaded

Ways you can honor {memorialName}'s memory:

Donation Link

Upcoming Event

Featured Mementos

Welcome Message

Select an item to highlight

Add a highlighted item

Customize which items you’d like to highlight on the memorial

Create Account

Become a Keeper

As a free {brandName} user, you will only be able to make 5 photos and videos public.

As a free {brandName} user, only the first five (5) Mementos are visible to page visitors. You can change which Mementos are public by dragging and dropping a photo or video to one of the first five positions. Upgrading to {brandName} Plus will make all 10 Mementos selected visible to the public.

All Mementos

This option is only available to Keeper Plus users.

To allow yourself and the rest of the community to view all images and videos, and to enable everyone to download their own copy of these mementos, upgrade your account to Keeper Plus.

This memento is not visible to visitors

Your community has posted {itemCount} more pictures and videos that honor {firstName}'s memory. To view them all, and to enable everyone to download their own copy of each, this account will need to upgrade to Keeper Plus.

View all images and videos with Keeper Plus

Our Obituary Assistant helps you craft a meaningful life story in minutes. Review and edit every detail, and unlock more features with Keeper Plus.

Obituary Assistant

Spend as much time as you need working on your Memorial page before it is visible to the public, and much more, when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Save Page as Draft

Create unlimited event pages and unlock a suite of powerful features to help you seamlessly coordinate event details, invites, and more when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Event

Create a full picture of your loved one’s community and add unlimited family and friends to Loved Ones when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Loved One

Create unlimited Memorials — and unlock unlimited images and videos, event pages, and advanced privacy settings — to help you keep memories alive when you upgrade to Keeper Plus.

Memorial Page

Add unlimited Stories to highlight the all the things that made your loved one unique, from milestones, images, albums, documents, locations, and much more.

Highlight Stories

Upgrading to Keeper Plus means you can add additional Keepers to help you gather Mementos and tributes, approve content, build out a family tree, and tell {firstName}' story on Keeper.

Invite Keepers with Keeper Plus

Upload and display unlimited photos and videos, use unlimited Story templates to highlight key moments, and allow friends and family to download their own copies when you upgrade to Keeper Plus. 

Better Mementos with Keeper Plus

To access memorial related configurations that control the display of the banner upgrade to Keeper Plus.

This configuration  is not available on your current plan

Create a meaningful link path to add a personal touch to {firstName}'s memorial.

Custom Memorial link

Gift Messages

SENDING AS A GIFT?

Cart

About 1-800 Flowers

"Flowers were beautiful and they arrived in time before the funeral. Thank you and will purchase more in the future.!"

Hearing Tears

"Beautiful flowers, I've always enjoyed sending them to my love ones for sympathy and they have always love them very much Thanks for making people feel good when receiving them."

Sympathy

"This was true to the photo and good to know family took arrangement after the service."

Beautiful arrangement.  Perfect size for service.

Some of the great things our customers say about us

We're here to make it a little easier, with thoughtful gifts for the services & home, along with expert advice on how to be there during a difficult time.

Flowers

Gift Baskets

Express Your Deepest Sympathy

About Us

Perfect Condolence Gift

No one is meant to grieve alone

Peace and love

Product is made, packaged, and sent with love

Keepsakes

How to add your gift message

Packaging Information

Shipping information

Add a Personalized Charm to the Ornament:

Other Keepsakes

Install KeeperQR onto any headstone, urn, or other memorial in minutes.

Install

Use your phone or tablet to scan the unique code — no other tools required!

Scan

All three of our elegant KeeperQR designs are printed using durable, weather-resistant aluminum designed for indoors and outdoor use on headstones and urns, memorial benches and trees, or other monuments to your loved one’s life

Built to Last

Get <discount>50% off</discount> Keeper Plus with your KeeperQR purchase

Keeper Basic

Learn About Our Plans

Connect the physical and digital worlds to share your loved one’s life story with friends and family, no matter where they are.

KeeperQR Memorial QR Code Plaques

Planting a memorial tree or bereavement tree is a unique, environmentally conscious way to pay tribute and honor the memory of your loved one. Keeper Memorials is supporting American Forests to plant whitebark pine trees as well as thornscrub trees in select regions of the US and Canada.

Memorial Trees

KeeperQR is designed to pair seamlessly with a Keeper digital memorial. Use our FREE intuitive tools to create biographies, maps, and timelines, share photos and videos, and more with customizable features built to commemorate your loved one’s life’s story.

Powered by Keeper

Lifetime without any hidden costs or subscription traps

One time payment

Keeper is SOC2 compliant, keeping your memories safe and secure.

Data protection guaranteed

We bring your QR Codes to any corner of the globe

Worldwide Shipping

Our durable and beautiful QR code plaques create seamless connection between your loved one’s physical memorial and their digital memorial, allowing visitors to their final resting place instant access to their life legacy.

Memorial.

Honor their memory, share their story

A KeeperQR is a weather-resistant plaque with a custom QR code that links directly to your loved one’s digital memorial. When placed on a headstone, urn, bench, or tree, it allows friends and family to scan and view their life story instantly

What is a KeeperQR?

They’re built to withstand outdoor elements and adhere to most surfaces.

Where can I place the KeeperQR?

How does it work?

Frequently asked questions

KeeperQR

E-Certificate Design

Plant Memorial Trees as a Living Tribute

BRAZIL

CANADA

FLORIDA

OREGON

Memorial Project Reach

Memorial trees start at {price} per tree, with discounts for multiple trees

Our Commitment

Gift Baskets & Food

Keeper Plus

QR Plaques

Keepers Featured Products

A Greener Way to Remember

Learn about our Partners:

Help Us Complete Your Order

Remembrance Store

Through your unique link, your client can sign up for Keeper and create a Memorial for a loved one. When the Memorial page is completed by the family, it will appear on your microsite and website. You will be the main Keeper Administrator of the Memorial, along with the family member that created the page.

Invite Your Clients to Create a Memorial

Invite Families

Your Email Notifications

Notifications

Email Unsubscribe Settings

Other Settings

With your active Keeper PLUS subscription, you get unlimited access to a suite of powerful features:

Allow visitors to download a local copy of all images and videos.

Download Media

Create a custom and meaningful URL, unique to your loved one, for each Memorial page.

Editable URL

Plan public or private events and invite your loved ones.

Event Pages

Add images and create profile pages to illustrate the history and genealogy of your loved one.

Family Tree

Invite unlimited administrators to help you manage every Memorial page you have.

Keeper Administrators

Visitors enjoy unrestricted access to all uploaded images and videos.

Unlimited Media

Create unlimited Memorial pages for your loved ones.

Memorial Pages

You will be able to upload Full HD videos instead of embedded links.

Video Uploading

Your Profile

Add a business user

Edit a business user

Are you sure you want to delete these users from these brands? You will need to manually add these users again.

If the user is a part of multiple brands, you will have to delete the user from each one individually

Delete Users from Brands?

Users Settings & Notifications

Users

Are you sure you want to delete these users? This action will revoke their privileges across all brands.

Are you sure you want to delete this user? This action will revoke their privileges across all brands.

Delete Users from all Brands?

Delete User from Brand?

Are you sure you want to delete {totalDeletes} from this user?

Delete Roles from this User?

Are you sure you want to delete this user from this brand? You will need to manually add this user again.

Delete User from this Brand?

Requires users to confirm their email every time they would like to share a tribute on a Memorial page.

When Email Tribute Validation is turned OFF, Guest users do not need to confirm their email address before their tribute is published.

When Email Tribute Validation is turned ON, Guest users will need to confirm their email address before their tribute is published. They will receive an email with a confirmation link they must click.

Requires users to confirm their email only the first time they would like to share a tribute on a Memorial page.

Email Tribute Validation

If Flagged Content is turned OFF, content that has been flagged will remain public until they have been Approved or Removed from the Requests Center.

If Flagged Content is turned ON, content that has been flagged will be hidden until they have been Approved or Removed from the Requests Center.

Hide Flagged Content

Language

Email Notifications

Are you sure you want to delete the Memorial for {name}? This action will permanently remove the memorial from the system.

Delete Memorial?

When Memorial Request Moderation is turned OFF, Memorials will automatically be published.

When Memorial Request Moderation is turned ON, Memorials will only be published if and when you approve them. Memorials can be published or deleted in the Requests center.

Memorial Request Moderation

Moderation Settings

This will permanently delete your account. The business account, and business page will not be deleted. To deactivate your account, there must be another admin user assigned to your organization.

Are you sure you want to deactivate this account?

When Override Tribute Moderation is turned OFF, the tribute moderation settings on Memorial pages will be hidden and other Keepers cannot override the tribute moderation settings specified by your organization.

When Override Tribute Moderation is turned ON, other Keepers can view and change the tribute moderation settings of the Memorial pages they manage. (Each Memorial page will default to the organization’s tribute moderation setting upon creation.) 

Override Tribute Moderation

If the AI Content Moderation is OFF, text areas containing profane language will be published.  Tributes can however be flagged and removed at any time.

If the AI Content Moderation is ON, text areas containing profane language will not be published and the user will receive an error message.

AI Content Moderation

When Tribute Moderation is turned OFF, Tributes will automatically be published. Once published, users can flag inappropriate or spam content. You can instantly delete any Tributes published on a Memorial that you administer.

When Tribute Moderation is turned ON, Tributes will only be published if and when you approve them. Tributes can be approved or rejected in the Requests center.

Tribute Moderation

When Tribute Validation is turned OFF, Tributes will automatically be published. Once published, users can flag inappropriate or spam content. You can instantly delete any Tributes published on a Memorial that you administer.

When Tribute Validation is turned ON, Tributes will only be published if and when you approve them. Tributes can be approved or rejected in the Requests center.

Palma Johnson McGavin Obituary | Altogether