George Plondke Obituary

George Winston Plondke, age 88, passed away on May 23, 2011 in Albuquerque, NM. He was born on February 22, 1923 in Perkins County, SD. In 1940, he moved with his family to Seymour, MO where he graduated from high school. He served as an officer and aviator in the U. S. Navy during World War II and the Korean conflict. In 1945, George married Margaret Elizabeth Martin of Springfield, MO to whom he was wed for 47 years until her death in 1993. In 1948, he graduated from The George Washington University in Washington, DC with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He spent most of his professional life as a sales engineer for Garrett-AiResearch Corporation (now a part of Honeywell Corp.), a manufacturer of turbochargers and turboprop engines, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. Working out of their Chicago Area office, he was the primary marketing and engineering support representative for Garrett in their supply of turbochargers to diesel engine manufacturers such as John Deere and Caterpillar from 1957 until his retirement in 1986. George lived with his family in Elmhurst until 1995, when he married Lois DeCourtney, also of Elmhurst. George and Lois met in their home church, First United Methodist of Elmhurst. They then settled into retirement in Albuquerque, NM. George loved music, particularly classical and the music of the church. He pursued very active study of the piano after age 60 and, on occasion, played in recitals and for his church. He also loved to play golf regularly with his good friends. George is survived by his wife, Lois Plondke, Albuquerque, NM; sister, Margaret Huntington, Springfield, VA; son, Jim Plondke, Smyrna, GA; son, Don Plondke, Dublin, CA; daughter, Sue Brenner, Gilbert, AZ; stepdaughter, Gale Jacob, Basque Farms, NM; stepdaughter, Jan DeCourtney, Boulder, CO; five grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on May 27 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Albuquerque.