- Date Of Birth: January 20, 1950
- Date Of Death: May 31, 2012
- State: Montana
Ronan, MT – John Plouffe passed away on May 31, 2012. John was born on January 20, 1950 in Alexandria , KY to Joe & Becky Plouffe, the second of three children. He was blessed with a happy childhood, surrounded by loving family and friends his entire life. He fondly recalled his mother’s Sunday morning breakfasts, checking the trot line on the Licking River with his dad, grandpa John teaching him how to use a knife (when Grandma Lucy wasn’t around) and all the family weekends spent on the river, at a family reunion, playing basketball and baseball with his childhood buddies, and hanging out with his cousins, Bobby, Foy, Kip and all the “older” boys.
John attended Alexandria Elementary School and later, Campbell County High School, graduating in 1968. He worked several jobs during high school, at the local drive in, at the local hamburger stands, and on local farms, bucking bales, fixing fence, plowing and harrowing. While still a high school senior, he enlisted in the Marine Corps for 4 years. He served from Sept 1968 until July 1971, when he received an honorable discharge for medical reasons. He then attended Florida Jr. College, Eastern Kentucky University, and FVCC, in an apparently unsuccessful effort to get smarter.
He worked construction, but his main claim to frame was playing in the rock and roll band, Lazer, and getting to play the play drum set of Rube Beard, the drummer for ZZ top, in Frankfort, KY, in ’72 or so. In 1975, he moved to Montana, to join his recently retired parents, and went to work in law enforcement, reaching the rank of Assistant Chief of Police during his 6 years, when he left the cop shop to be able to spend more time with his family. It should be noted here that not one donut shop was ever robbed while John was on duty.
While twice married, John decided married life was not for him, and devoted his life to being a single parent, raising his two children, Tyler and Casey, all on his own. On January 23, 2005, he was blessed with his first grandchild, Jackson Dean, who was the light of his life, and the object of much “spoiling”. On June 13, 2008, along came a grand daughter Abbigail Rose Marie, and Jackson had a little sister.
John worked 30 years for the US Gov’t, retiring in 2010 from the Flathead Irrigation Project, after having served as Watermaster at the Pablo, Jocko, Round Butte and North Division camps. He enjoyed time with his family, hunting, camping, fishing, river floats, pool, the blues, his pets (all dogs), puttering around with his old 75 Ford 4X4, the “Live 75”, and long motorcycle rides, traveling to Kentucky, Daytona Beach, the Grand Canyon and many other scenic places.
John will be remembered as a loving father, grandpa, good friend, brother, uncle, and public servant. He was proud of his Native American heritage, having Salish, Coeur D’Alene and Pend O’Reille blood in his veins.
He was preceded in passing by his parents, Joe and Becky, and is survived by his sisters, Jeannie Morigeau (Jacque, deceased), of Ronan, and Linda Rahe (Tony), of Cincinnati; his children, Tyler and Casey; his grandchildren (Jackson and Abbi Rose); his many nieces and nephews.
