Concepcion Castellanos "Connie" Pla'

(Asbury Park Press)

CONCEPCION CASTELLANOS PLA'
AGE: 67 JACKSON
Concepcion "Connie" Castellanos Pla', 67, of Jackson died Tuesday morning, June 8, 2010, at Ocean Medical Center, Brick. Born in El Salvador, Central America, on August 27, 1942, she immigrated to the United States in 1957 at fourteen years old and finished her high school years in New York City. She began her secretarial career working for Chemical Bank in 1960, and retired as head-secretary for the bilingual department of the board of education in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 2005. She married the late Reverend Antonio Pla', from Puerto Rico, on September 19, 1964 and co-founded with her husband Canaan Christian Church of Jackson, where both served faithfully as pastor and wife for twenty-nine years. She has continued her varied ministries in the church for the last three years and will be remembered as a loyal Sunday School teacher, choir director, organist, church secretary, head of women's ministry, board member and most beloved as pastor's wife. She loved music and enjoyed singing in several choirs throughout her youth including the Interdenominational Choir of New York, which in recent years reunited for a commemorative tour of sacred concerts throughout Puerto Rico. She will be lovingly remembered and missed by her three children and four grandchildren and many "adopted" sons and daughters in the faith.
She was predeceased by her parents, Agustin Castellanos, and Concepcion Fernandez, and her devoted husband of forty-two years, Antonio Pla'. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Elaine and Jon Alexander of Indiana; her daughter, Dina Pla' and a son, Carlos Pla', both of Jackson; her sisters, Gladis de Fuentes and Silvia Castellanos and one brother, Luis Castellanos, all of El Salvador; her brothers and sisters-in-law, Helen and Felipe Pla' of Bridgeton, Karen and Wilfredo Pla' of Germantown, Maryland, Rosa and Felipe de Armas of Miami, Florida; her birth mother, Graciella Sanchez of El Salvador; her mother-in-law, Maria Ester Pla` of Miami, Florida and her grandchildren, Elise and James Duvall, along with David, Charissa and Natalie Alexander all of Indiana, and many nephews and nieces both in the United States and El Salvador.
Visitation will be from 6-7 p.m. with a memorial service from 7-9 on Saturday; Sunday services from 11a.m. to 1p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. with visitation times from 1-3 p.m. and 6-7 p.m. at Canaan Christian Church, 88 Frank Applegate Road, Jackson. A final service will be at 10:00 am Monday, with the burial to follow at Ocean County Memorial Park, Toms River. Memorial donations can be made to the Canaan Christian Church Building Fund, 5 Cornell Court Jackson, NJ 08527. Colonial Funeral Home, Brick is in charge of arrangements.