In Memory of Marilyn Ann Plunkett

Marilyn Ann Plunkett, age 86, of Ida Grove, Iowa passed away on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at the Good Samaritan Society of Holstein, Iowa.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, June 20, 2014 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Ida Grove, Iowa. The Father Richard D. Ball will officiate. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery of Ida Grove, Iowa. Visitation will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; with a rosary service held at 4:30p.m. and a vigil service held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Ida Grove, Iowa. The Christensen ~ Van Houten Funeral Home of Ida Grove, Iowa is in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online to www.christensenvanhouten.com

Marilyn Ann Plunkett was born November 8, 1927 in Oelwein, Iowa, to Norbert and Matilda Maller, she attended a fashion college in Chicago and later transferred and graduated from Iowa State University in 1951. It was at ISU that she met Robert Plunkett. Shortly after graduating she married Bob on July 26th and the next day they moved to Ida Grove where he had accepted a teaching contract.

In 1963 Marilyn took a position with Schleswig High School as a Home Economics and FHA (Future Homemakers of America) teacher. She changed schools to Ida Grove Community High School in 1970 and worked there until retiring in 1987. She loved working in the same building as Bob and for 3 years from 1974-6 all four member of the family were under one roof!

Marilyn was a member of the choir and other groups at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She headed up a quilting group for many years and spent many hours collecting scraps of fabric from every part of the world she visited. No piece of fabric or worn out clothing item ever found its way to a landfill if she saw it first. She was ahead of her time in recycling.

When Bob died in 1989 she turned to an amazing support system of friends and family who have stayed close to the end. Thanks to her brother Bob Maller and his wife Joyce, Marilyn was able to travel to some very interesting places including Europe and China.

She spent most of her life making sure her children - Michael and Kathy Plunkett were taken care of. She will be most remembered in the last 25 years for the great pains to provide a normal life for Kathy.

Survivors include her children - Kathy who resides in Denison, Iowa and Michael who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and her beloved sister in law - Joyce Maller.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband, Bob Plunkett and brother, Bob Maller

Thanks to the staff at Good Samaritan Society for their help and support the last two years.