Churchill’s Garden Center announced that Oliver, the Amazon parrot who lived in the center’s greenhouse, died last week.
Gisela Manna, the garden center owner, said Oliver died from liver disease at 19 years old, a common illness in Amazon parrots.
Oliver was a fixture of the garden center his whole life, and even lived through changes of ownership there. He would wander around the houseplant greenhouse. As a tropical parrot, greenhouse heat, humidity and greenery suited him. Manna put a pond in the building to make it feel like home for him.
“It's such an emptiness because still you have customers that are coming in saying, ‘Hey, where's Oliver?’” Manna said. “Generations of families would come and see Oliver.”
Over a hundred people have commented on Churchill’s facebook announcement of Oliver’s death, sharing their memories of coming to the store, just to see the bird.
He didn’t like to be touched, but just his presence entertained customers watching him.
“He was very comical,” Manna said. “Every time I would walk by and laugh, he would laugh exactly like I laughed. It was really funny.”
The store plans to create a memorial area dedicated to Oliver on the property.
