Sonja Plunkett

Sonja Karen (Sydor) Plunkett passed away in the afternoon on November 19, 2022. The daughter of Josef Peter and Elfriede Sydor, she was born on October 1, 1939, in the village of Immenstadt, Allgovia, Bavaria and raised in the southern German city of Kempten. Sonja had two brothers, Jurgen and Guido, and a sister, Irmgard. In the mid 1940’s she and her family moved to a little village of Ottmarshausen, on the outskirts of Augsburg. She received her secondary education at the Maria Sternberg School in Augsburg. Having studied English in school and learning it on her own, as a seventeen-old young woman, Sonja worked as a unit secretary for a U. S. military hospital in Augsburg, where she met Malcolm Lewis Plunkett, who was a U. S. Army soldier stationed in Augsburg and who became her husband. Sonja and Malcolm had six children: Mike, Borden, Charmaine, Keith, Roger, and Mark. Following Malcolm’s discharge from the U. S. Army in 1972, the two decided to move their family to Malcolm’s childhood home of Centerville, Tennessee. An active and supportive Christian, Sonja attended and worshiped alternatively at the Defeated Creek Church of Christ, the Centerville Church of Christ, and the Fairfield Church of Christ with her friends and fellow Christians, from whom she received fellowship and love. Sonja loved her children and her many friends and family she had in Centerville. Many will remember her generosity and concern for others as exemplified by her organization and managing of People Helping People to assist people with food insecurity. In addition, she often donated her time and resources to assisting various individuals and organizations. Most will remember her for her ability to cite and quote scripture and for her creativity in painting, knitting, and playing her harmonica. She had a deep and abiding love for God’s creatures and was the friend to any and all dogs, strays or otherwise. In lieu of flowers or gifts, Sonja would have appreciated any donations in her name to two organizations close to her heart and mind: The Humane Society and Veterans organizations. Sonja is survived by five children and their spouses: Mike (wife Carla), Borden (wife Michele), Charmaine Harlow (husband Ricky), Keith (wife Sheila), and Mark (wife Tabby); five grandchildren Megan Kincaide (husband Matthew), Jessica Delaney (husband Brent), Alexa Holz (husband Joe), Jacob Harlow (wife Nikki), and Marcus Plunkett; five great grandchildren Zoey, Lacey, Kiley, Carly, and Seth. Sonja was preceded in death by her father and mother; her father and mother-in-law, Harold and Lorraine Plunkett; sister Irmgard, her son Roger Plunkett, and her husband. She will be missed by all of those who loved her and enjoyed her company.

Sonja Plunkett

October 1, 1939 - November 19, 2022