Donald L Plahn

Donald Plahn, age 92, of Marshalltown, passed away on Friday morning, January 23rd, at the Iowa River Hospice Home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, January 30th, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church with Pastor Alex Post officiating. Visitation will be one-hour prior to the services. Don will be laid to rest in the Rose Hill Memorial Gardens with full military honors by the active United States Marines Corps and the Combined American Legion and VFW Honor Guard in the Marshalltown area. The family encourages memorials to be directed to the Wounded Warriors Project or the Alzheimer’s Foundation. Both links are found on the funeral home website. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Don and his family.

Born on May 18th, 1933, in Sioux City, Iowa, he was one of two sons born to Herman and Marie (Kern) Plahn. He graduated from East High School in Sioux City. After his stint in the Marine Corps, he continued furthering his education at Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis, Iowa State College and then the University of Iowa’s College of Electrical Engineering.

From 1951 until 1953, he served our country honorably in the United States Marines Corps, beginning in San Diego and later Kodiak Island in Alaska, which at that time was not yet a state of the union.

Between the times of San Diego and Alaska, his friend arranged a blind date. Her friends agreed to it for her and “forcibly encouraged” her to go! She met him in the entry. He was in his dress blues and “wow.” He saw her in an outfit her friends picked out, and “wow.” Their first date was going to the movie “We’re Not Married Yet.” The rest is history.

The couple was married on October 10th, 1954, in Cherokee, Iowa. In 1970, while living in Minneapolis, he knew there were several lay-offs coming to the engineering staff. He saw an ad for Fisher Controls in Marshalltown, Iowa. He applied and was hired and the family was on their way to a new home.

Don was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church and formerly of the Isaak Walton League. A multi-talented man, he enjoyed woodworking, oil painting, fishing, metal detecting, shooting (he was master marksman in the service), traveling, operating his ham radio, making wine and especially time with his family. He enjoyed the many friendships he made at Glenwood Place.

Left to cherish his memory are Jan, his loving wife of 71 years; three children-Linda (Rick) George of Webster City, Cheryl (Tom) LaVille of Marshalltown and Glenn (Erin) Plahn of Sugarland, TX; three grandsons-Timothy George of Morrisville, NC, Zach Plahn of Grand Rapids, MI and Spencer Plahn of Sugarland, TX; four step-grandchildren- Joa LaVille (Terry Mercer) and Jenni Marino all of Marshalltown, Josh LaVille of Portland, OR and John LaVille of Denver, CO and many friends.

In death, Don rejoined his parents and one brother, Jack.