John Gordon Plunkett and Lela Mae Plunkett Obituaries - McIntosh County, Oklahoma ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm Submitted to: http://www.rootsweb.com/~okmcinto/index.htm Submitted to: http://www.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/ok/mcintosh/mcintosh.html Compiled, Transcribed & Submitted: Shelley Lynch ========================================================================== John Gordon Plunkett July 26. 1902--- October 31, 1990 Officiating Minister: Reverend Linda Clark Funeral services for John Gordon Plunkett, 88, conducted Saturday morning, November 3, 1990 at 10:00 in the Wesley United methodist Church with its pastor, The Reverend Linda Clark officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Cemetery, Eufaula, with W.W. Sizemore, Jack Rider, Mike Gibson, Bill Plunkett, Bob Maddox and K.C. Jones serving as pallbearers. Born in Paris, Arkansas on July 26, 1902, he was the son of William and Maude Featherston Plunkett. It was in Paris that Mr. Plunkett was reared and educated. On November 18, 1923, in Paris, he and the former Lela Luman were married. A union that was enriched one month short of 67 years. The Plunkett's established their home in Eufaula, Oklahoma in 1928, when he began his 42 year association with Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company. He retired as superintendent of the Eufaula office. Not too long following his retirement they made their home here in Muskogee where he was a founder and charter member of Wesley United Methodist Church. Mr. Plunkett was a 63 year member of the Masonic Lodge #1 in Eufaula where he had served as Past Master, had retired as Fire Chief of the Eufaula Volunteer Fire Department and was a past president and longtime member of the Eufaula Lions Club. Family survivors include his wife, Lela of the home; one daughter, Patricia Plunkett Conley of Conroe, Texas; one sister, Mary Gibson of Eufaula; two granddaughters, Constance Hudson of Austin, Texas and Kathleen Conley of Tulsa; great-granddaughter, Amy Hudson of Austin, Texas; 3 nephews, Mike Gibson of Dallas, Texas, Bill Plunkett of North Little Rock, Arkansas and Bob Maddox of Paris, Arkansas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday August 19, 1997 10:00 AM Bradley Bell Tower Chapel, Muskogee, Oklahoma with Reverend April Baker of Wesley United Methodist Church officiating. Pallbearers were Rick Smarinsky, Walter Conley, Michael Gibson and Stephen Hudson with interment in Greenwood Cemetery, Eufaula, Oklahoma. Celebrating the Life of Lela Mae Plunkett Greeting & Invocation Prayer Hymn: "How Great Thou Art" Obituary Hymn: "Precious Memories" Scripture: Psalm 23 Message Hymn: "Beyond the Sunset" Prayer and Benediction I was told by Lela Mae's family that the 23rd Psalm was one of Lela Mae's favorite scriptures, just as it is for many people. The psalmist who wrote these wonderful lines was certainly aware of God's intimate presence in his life. He spoke with surety and certainty of that which he knew to be a fact- that the Lord was his Shepherd, his guide, and that the Lord was with him always, even in the longest hours, even in the shadow of death. I believe that in her life, Lela Mae was very much like that psalmist. She, too, had the calm assurance that God was her guide in life, and that God was with her always, even in the longest hours, and yes, even in the shadow of death. As Pat and Walter and I were visiting yesterday, sharing some of the stories of Pat's mother's life, Walter offered a wonderful description of Lela Mae. He said that the one word that came to his mind to describe Lela Mae is that she was a "true gentlewoman." And indeed, she was a gentlewoman, able to be so because of that confidence in the One who is the Shepherd of her life. Because she walked with the Shepherd, Lela Mae was a gentlewoman in her marriage, and in her family. Part of what it meant for Lela Mae to be a gentlewoman was that she had a gentle, tender heart. She made sure that each member of her family- including her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, knew they had a special place in her heart. Pat shared with me that as her children were growing up, they would come, individually, to spend "special" time with their grandparents, whom they lovingly dubbed, "Mae and J.G." Because she walked with the Shepherd, Lela Mae was a gentlewoman in how she conducted herself. It was not her custom to fuss or to raise her voice, but to be gracious and even tempered. She wasn't given to a lot of words, but the words she used were listened to. Walter told me that his relationship to his mother-in-law was a very good one, for which he was very thankful. Lela Mae welcomed him into the family, and in fact, the only time that she really fussed at him was when he and Pat were dating, to tell him, "Walter, it's time to go home!" Lela Mae was a gentlewoman who knew it was important to commune with the Shepherd who guided her. She had a time of daily devotion, and she came to church, and when she couldn't, the Shepherd in the garden that she kept, and in the tending of her flowers. Now, there were some things that she knew a gentlewoman was discreet about-like her age! While she was undergoing physical therapy, she was asked a lot of questions, but when they came to "What is your birthday?", she asked them "Why do you need to know that?" -Turned out, they didn't need to know, and she didn't tell! Any who knew Lela Mae knew that she was a gentlewoman of few words, and the words she spoke mattered. She was a woman of great intellect, with a very focused mind, and blessed with a wonderful memory- but no empty words. And during the last weeks of her life, she spoke less and less. But I think that if she were going to convey a message, it would have been similar to one she conveyed to Walter years ago, "It's time to go home." Lela Mae's nephew Michael reminded us that in one way this is a happy day, because Lela Mae and J. G. are reunited, and they walk hand in hand together, side by side with the Shepherd who has always guided them. Thank God for the ways in which Lela Mae's life touched our own and intertwined with our journey. Thank God for the sacred stories and treasured memories which will remain with us all our days. Thank God for the gift of this true "gentlewoman," whose hand we now release, knowing that the hand of the Shepherd shall continue always to be her guide. ========================================================================== Return to McIntosh County Archives: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/mcintosh/mcintosh.html