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Delores Irene Yockey Plastow
Delores Irene Yockey Plastow, 86, of Grace Village Retirement Community, Winona
Lake, Indiana passed away peacefully at 8:04 a.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020 at
Grace Village, after a brief encounter with the COVID-19 Coronavirus and
resulting health complications.
Delores was born May 28, 1934 to Roy and Alice (Hooks) Yockey in Worthington,
Pennsylvania.
She graduated from Worthington High School in Worthington, Pennsylvania in 1952,
and subsequently attended Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, where she earned a
B.A. in Christian Education, followed by studies at Moody Bible Institute in
Chicago Illinois, where she met her husband, Fred Plastow.
Delores and Fred married June 18, 1960, and soon embarked on their life mission
to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people of other nations. They lived
in Morocco for nearly 6 years, in Switzerland for 2 years, in Belgium for 11
years, and in Spain for 10 years before returning to the USA, where they first
served in Columbia, South Carolina as ambassadors for their sending mission
agency, Avant Ministries, then eventually settled in Warsaw, Indiana.
While she never learned to ride a bicycle, she learned to speak Arabic and
French and prepared manuscripts for publications in those languages. Delores
played the piano for countless church services, typed faster than anyone we
knew, always managed to spot the typos in the church bulletin, and mastered the
Betty Crocker cookbook, along with several Moroccan national dishes. She
enjoyed walks with her husband, quilting projects, puzzles, and having friends
and family over for meals.
Delores will be remembered as an excellent life partner by her husband of 60
years, for her compassionate love by her children, and for her warm hospitality
and gentle, caring spirit by the multitudes of friends who were blessed to
experience it while in her home.
In the last 4 years of her life, Delores gradually lost much of her ability to
communicate verbally with others. But throughout this time she made it clear
with her easy smile and a gentle laugh that she enjoyed every minute with family
and friends, displaying uncommon gentleness and contentment, and occasionally
surprising us by finishing her husband’s sentences.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by three daughters, Lori (Kurt)
Strietzel (Kansas City, Missouri), Sheryl (Lary) Strietzel (Democratic Republic
of the Congo), Cynthia (Rodney) Ens (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), and a son,
Marc (Susan) Plastow (Warsaw, Indiana). This small start has resulted in a
bounty of 16 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and 2 double-great
grandchildren. She is also survived by one sister, Ethel King and one brother,
Russell.
She was predeceased by her parents and sisters, Betty Knappenberger, Helen
Wilson and Darlyne Hughes.
Friends are welcome to come celebrate Delores’ life with her family at a small
graveside service at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at Pleasant View
Cemetery, at 2782 W 200 N, Warsaw, Indiana and officiated by Pastor Terry
Harnish. The Plastow family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to all
of the caregivers at Grace Village Healthcare in Winona Lake, Indiana, who cared
for Delores during her 8 months as a resident there, and in particular for their
kindness and compassion during Delores’ final days.
Memorial donations may be directed to Avant Ministries, 10000 N. Oak Trafficway,
Kansas City, Missouri 64155 and would be appreciated by the family.
Arrangements were entrusted to Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road,
Warsaw, IN. |
