Eugene Plunk

Eugene Plunk

Eugene Plunk, of Central Point passed away at home on April 25, 2010, after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Gene was born May 5, 1942, in Silver Lake, Texas, to Gracie and Melvin Plunk. He grew up in Texas and moved to Gresham, Ore., as a teen where he met and married Jewel Hunt on April 7, 1959. They recently celebrated 51 years together.

In the early 1960s, Jewel and Gene moved to southern Oregon in search of work. Gene found work at Medco while they raised their three children in Central Point. In the 1980s, Gene bought a long haul truck and soon afterward found himself owner of several trucks establishing what is now Plunk Transportation. The family business has withstood the test of time and is a fixture on the West Coast.

His success brought an early retirement and the building of a bus conversion motor home that he and Jewel traversed the country in eventually settling in Arizona for the winter months. An interest in cactus led him to a side business of buying and selling desert plants while turning his property into a southwestern oasis. The nickname The Cactus Man was soon applied as the people of Yuma knew who to ask about the prickly plants. Throughout his life, Gene was always known for his landscaping ability and eye.

Family life was always central to Gene. Many family vacations over the years provided fond memories for all. Family also became a big part of the business which employs four family members.

He survived by wife, Jewel; son, Steven Plunk; daughter and son-in-law, Brenda and Rex Walters; and eight grand children. He is also survived by brother, Jack Plunk, of Baird, Texas. Gene was preceded in death by his parents; youngest son, Dennis Plunk; and brother, Alton Plunk.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2010, at Perl-Siskiyou Memorial Park in Medford, Ore.