Joe Plum

Joseph Lester Plum, born August 24, 1927, to Emma Jane (Herring) & Herbert Lester Plum in Elkton, Virginia, passed away peacefully in his sleep, February 28, 2013 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, due to incidents of age. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Ruth, a sister Mildred Russell, and grandchildren Josiah Edward Plum and Gabrielle Elizabeth Plum. Although he always considered himself a son of Virginia, he was an adopted son of Idaho for 45 years. In 1944, he met a girl who had just moved from Cass, WV and married August 10, 1946. This union brought forth four boys and one daughter over 20 years. After serving in the Philippines and the Occupation of Japan, Lieutenant, U S Army, he began a career as a Virginia State Trooper, a service he was extremely proud of. However, life had bigger plans, attending and graduating from the first class of nuclear engineering, North Carolina State, which gave him the opportunities to design and build nuclear naval ships, spacecraft, and nuclear power plants. A devastating stroke in 1979 gave him the opportunity to focus on things he truly loved – his wife, their children, grandchildren, friendships, and service to church and community. They traveled extensively by car, often for three months, sharing beautiful roadsides whenever they presented themselves. He considered his greatest accomplishment to be his role in raising five responsible, hard working, and independent children. He will always be remembered as a Husband who never failed, a Son who opened home and wallet to his ailing mother and mother-in-law, a Brother who forgave, a Father who insisted on honesty, integrity, and honest work, an Uncle who never forgot, and a patient Grandfather. People will always remember Joe by his smile, his belly laugh, his contentment with where he was in life, and his loss of all but six words when things didn’t go quite right. He enjoyed his service to politics, Toastmasters, Boy Scouts, Free Education, and establishing the Hells Canyon Recreational Area. Along with his wife, he enjoyed making Christmas cookies for those without, preparing outlandish dinners for friends and family, and sharing God’s Great Opportunity in soil, rain, sun and seeds. He is remembered by his thousands of books, the pets he kept, and hikes and outings shared. In comfort of our loss, we ask you to remember his typical response to the day, “fair to midlin - better than most” and enjoy every day for what it is: a gift, to share your love with family, friends, and those you will meet. Joe is survived by children: Jody (Carol), Albuquerque NM, Paul (Margie), Rio Dell CA, Bill (Karen), Northport WA, and Martin (Shera) and Margo Hendricks, Idaho Falls, 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family asks to send your thoughts and material efforts to your favorite charity. The family will meet with friends from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. prior to a celebration of life at the Idaho Falls Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Monday, March 4.

Celebration of Life -- Monday

4 p.m. ,Monday, March 4, 2013 Unitarian Universalist Church 555 Idaho Falls, ID, Bonneville 83401 Notes: In lieu of flowers, the family asks to send your thoughts and material efforts to your favorite charity. The family will meet with friends from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. prior to a celebration of life at the Idaho Falls Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Monday, March 4.