Vera Plunk passed away at the age of 94. She married Joel Plunk in 1950 in Phillips, Texas.
Vera grew up in the Texas panhandle during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, first in Sanford, then in Phillips. She considered herself lucky that her father worked for Phillips Petroleum during that tough time. She loved Phillips and the friendships that lasted a lifetime.
She went to West Texas State College where she met Joel, who was in the Army Reserve. When he was called back, they married and she became an army wife, living in Fort Smith, District of Columbia; and Red Bank, NJ. After his discharge, he worked for Shell Oil in Amarillo and Midland, Texas; Hobbs, New Mexico; and New Orleans, Louisiana. By then, they had two children and wanted a permanent home. They found it in Pampa, and Vera lived there for the next 66 years. She liked to joke that they did all that traveling just to end up 30 miles from where she grew up.
Vera worked for Cabot Corporation and then for her husband. She liked working but her greatest joy was being a grandmother. She was a doting grandmother to her two granddaughters and burned up the road between Pampa and Dallas. She enjoyed being in a local sorority and forming friendships that endured for the rest of her life.
After the passing of her husband and son, Vera found her passion working with Friends of the Pampa Library and Adult Literacy. She combined her lifelong loves of reading and gardening while working with the Friends. She also loved animals and had a soft spot for abandoned dogs. Many elderly and homeless dogs found their forever homes with her, leading her friends to quip: “When I die, I want to come back as your dog!” Vera spent the last four years in assisted living where she was known for her energy and keen sense of humor.
She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Martha and Marvin Ward; two granddaughters, Melissa and Michelle, cousins, Joe and Candis Sledge, and many nieces and nephews.
Memorials can be sent to the Friends of the Pampa Library, PO Box 146, Pampa, Texas 79066.
