Albert P. "Paul" Plummer, 86, Hollidaysburg, passed away peacefully Tuesday, with his wife at his side, at the Presbyterian Village, due to complications from heart disease. He was born in a farm house in the Greenwood section of Altoona to the late James T. and Genevieve A. (Myers) Plummer, the youngest of four children. On June 29, 1957, he married Carolyn Regina "Jean" Reilly at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Altoona.
Surviving are his wife; four children: Michael (Joe-Hynn Yang) of Manhattan, N.Y., Christopher of Sunnyvale, Calif., Carolyn (Joseph M. White) of San Diego, Calif., and Patrick (Karen Diehl) of Hollidaysburg; a granddaughter, Lauren White; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews.
Paul was preceded in death by two brothers, Thomas and Raymond; and his sister, Constance (Plummer) McCann.
He was a 1951 graduate of Altoona Catholic High School. He served in the U.S. Navy at the end of the Korean War, aboard the USS Iowa, BB61. Paul trained as a radar technician on the famous battleship and retained his interest in electronics and technology late in life, adapting seamlessly to the modern era of mobile devices. In 1958, as a beneficiary of the GI Bill, Paul received a bachelor's degree from Saint Francis College, with a dual major in economics and commerce.
After graduation from Saint Francis College, Paul joined the family business founded by his father, Plummer Furniture, ultimately taking over management of the Cresson store, where he became a prominent figure in the community and vice president of the Cresson Volunteer Fire Company. He took great pride in the caliber of fire-fighting skills in the small department. After a tragic house fire in Hollidaysburg, Paul was compelled to join the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department in his hometown community, becoming a lifelong member.
With the Wolf Furniture acquisition of Plummer Furniture in 1969, Paul was appointed an executive within the Wolf enterprise for the next ten years until becoming a furniture manufacturer's representative for the remainder of his business career. Frequently on the road throughout the state of Pennsylvania and on southern routes for the Furniture Market in High Point, N.C., Paul was a noted authority among family and friends on the fastest directions to and from central Pennsylvania before the widespread adoption of mapping apps.
Throughout his life, Paul was a proponent of the importance of continuing education and the power of science, historical facts and a free and empowered press. He took post-graduate courses at Northwestern University and Hillsdale College, and taught continuing education classes at Penn State Altoona. Paul was a passionate daily reader of the New York Times and an avid student of American political history. Often holding contrary views within the community he loved, Paul relished the art of lively and respectful debate between individuals with significantly different world views.
In his nearly sixty years as a resident of Hollidaysburg, in addition to the Phoenix Fire Department, he was active in numerous activities throughout the community, from being an active parishioner at St. Michael's Catholic Church; a boisterous member of the Garber Street Gang drinking club; an EMT volunteer for the American Legion Ambulance Association and the organization's president during a period of expansion; the Hollidaysburg Planning Commission and Civil Service; and vice president of Hollidaysburg Borough Council.
At the county and state levels, Paul was president of the South Central Counties Borough Association and board member of the Pennsylvania State Borough Association. Anyone who engaged with Paul in any of these capacities recognized that he was a committed and passionate advocate for any cause that sparked his attention, particularly those which were likely to accrue the long term benefits of the community. A vocal and tireless raconteur, Paul was a dedicated mentor to many of the young professionals and others in his life.
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date through Plank, Stitt and Stevens Funeral Home, 421 Montgomery Street, Hollidaysburg, after the lifting of the social distancing guidelines. You may leave online condolences for the family at stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com or the Stevens Family Funeral Homes' Facebook page.
At this time of great need for our first responders and health care workers, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Paul's memory may be made to the American Legion Ambulance Association, PO Box 461, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 or to the Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg, 220 Newry Street, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648. |