Fred Plumb

Fred Plumb, 71, died as the sun was about to rise on May 24, after a long illness, which he endured with grace and humor.  He graduated from Deer Isle High School in 1964, worked in his father’s factory and attended college for a couple of years, and then enlisted in the Army.  He served as a MEDEVAC helicopter pilot in Vietnam.  He said he was grateful to have been given the opportunity to do something important when he was only 21 years old.  After that he worked on the railroad as an apprentice union-member welder.  He had a short stint as a crop duster in Florida, for which his mother was barely able to forgive him.  Most of his career was spent as a helicopter flight instructor at Fort Rucker, Alabama.  At one time, he had accumulated the most hours of night vision flying time of anyone in the world.  He operated a surplus and salvage store in Alabama, for which he purchased far more stock than he sold.  His work life came full circle when he took over his father’s factory in 2003.  He remained present and committed to the business until shortly before his death.

He was predeceased by his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Plumb and his parents, Janice Haskell Plumb and Edwin Plumb and his step-mother, Betty Plumb.

He is remembered with love by his sisters, Rena Day and Penelope Plumb of Deer Isle, Maine, and his nieces and nephews Holly Brockway and husband Jon, Eric Day and partner Kathy Rioux, Heather Day and husband Michael Casey, Tim Mauro and wife Karlina Lyons, and Alice Andrews and husband Jamie, and a special ‘honorary daughter’, Kimberly Sidoti.   He also leaves five great-nephews:  Darrell French, Caden and Damon Andrews, and Luis and Danny Casey, and his aunt, Judith McGuire.

His friends and family will miss his quick wit and zany adventures, as well as his loving and generous heart.  He has left us with hundreds of hilarious, true stories to tell, the kind of stuff you just can’t make up.   We will remember them with love and laughter.

If you want to honor him in some way, he had a great love for animals and supported Disabled American Veterans.

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