Eleanor Plucker

Eleanor Plucker, 96, died Monday, April 4, 2011 at Good Samaritan Luther Manor in Sioux Falls, having suffered a fractured pelvis several weeks before. Eleanor Lillian Kuhlmeier was born on a farm near Tea, South Dakota on May 31, 1914, the daughter of Walter and Katherine (Nuttbrock) Kuhlmeier. She attended rural school and grew up in the Tea, Chancellor and Davis areas. She survived the Davis tornado in 1928. On June 21, 1933 Eleanor was united in marriage to Bert H. Plucker in Canton. They farmed north of Chancellor and moved into Lennox in 1978. Her husband died February 7, 1980. She had opened her home to 58 foster children from 1961 to 1993, having raised Debbie and Penny to adulthood.. She moved to Sioux Falls in 2008 and since that time her special caregivers were her son, Jim and her granddaughter, Darcy Waldner. Eleanor was a member of Lennox Ebenezer Presbyterian Church and in addition to being a foster mother, she was a charter member of the Lennox Senior Citizens, a member of Lennox Legion Auxiliary, Garden Club and Women's Relief Corp. In 1989 she received the "Spirit of South Dakota" award, being recognized as one of our pioneer women. She was a cancer survivor and had beaten cancer five times in her lifetime. Besides her parents and her husband, Bert, she was prcceded in death by two daughters and three sons in infancy; four grandchildren; two brothers; Armour and Glenwood Kuhlmeier two sons-in-law: Dale Hammer-strom in 1986 and Dale VanBockern in 2009. Grateful for having shared her life are two sons: Stanley (Marlene) Plucker of Tea and James Plucker of Sioux Falls; three daughters: Bernice (Bill) Beaumont of Sioux Falls, Delores VanBockern of Sioux Falls and Eldonna (Larry) Butler of Landrum, NC; two foster daughters: Debbie (Paul) Hartz of Luverne, MN and Penny (Allen) Stratmeyer of Tea; 24 grandchildren; 47 great-grandchildren; 27 great-great-grandchildren; two sisters: Dorothy Heibult and Arlis Poppens, both of Lennox; plus several nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. Services will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Apr. 9 at Lennox Ebenezer Presbyterian Church with burial in the Germantown Cemetery. Visitation will begin at noon Friday at the Dindot-Klusmann Funeral Home, Lennox with the family present from 7 to 8 p.m.

Eleanor Plucker

May 31, 1914 - April 4, 2011

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