Geraldine Wilhelmina Plettner

Sutton resident, Geraldine "Gerré" Wilhelmina Plettner, 91 passed from this life Friday, December 14, 2012, at the Sutton Community home in Sutton, NE. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 18, 2012, at Sutton Memorial Chapel in Sutton, NE. with Rev. Bruce Paulus officiating. Interment will follow at the Sutton Cemetery in Sutton, NE. Visitation will be Monday, from 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., at Sutton Memorial Chapel in Sutton, NE. Memorial contribution may be directed to the family to be designated at a later time. Geraldine Wilhelmina Plettner was born to Hugo and Molly (Lissmann) Griess in Sutton, NE on August 19, 1921, the second of six children. Gerré, as she was better known, started school at the Cottage School in Sutton, which was a German-medium school, but at the age of 5 moved to Lincoln, NE, where she spent most of her growing-up years graduating from Jackson High School in 1940. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on an art scholarship and worked at Robinson's Department store as a window designer. On July 29, 1943, she married Elmer Plettner, Jr., who coincidentally was also from Sutton but not from a German-Russian heritage as she was. Early years of their marriage, they lived in Georgia, California and Kansas before moving to Nebraska. The post war years were difficult, and they farmed near Valley, NE where 3 of their four sons were born, the oldest having been born in Kansas while Elmer Jr. was still in the service. In 1951, they moved back to her husband's hometown of Sutton where the two have lived since. Having grown up in Lincoln, Gerré never expected to live in Sutton where so many of her aunts, uncles, and cousins lived. Together Elmer and Gerré raised their family in Sutton building several successful businesses, Sutton TV Center, Precious Memory Monuments, and Plettner Aerial Spray in addition to starting farming again with the purchase of their first of several farms in 1965. She worked alongside Elmer in all of these businesses. She was born again into a deeper understanding of her relationship with Jesus Christ that her husband had found during World War II. This faith grew and was the mainstay of the rest of her life. She was a member of both the Sutton Christian Church and the Clay Center Christian Church. She taught Sunday Bible School and Vacation Bible School in Sutton long after her own children were out of school. She did not just teach prepared lessons but taught directly from the Bible preparing every lesson for the children diligently. She loved Jesus, His Word, and his church and sought to equip herself in spiritual matters as much as she could. In spite of being busy with family and working in the businesses and church, she was also active in the Sutton Women's Club, Associated Artist of Omaha, Hastings Art Club, American Legion Women's Axillary, Sutton Mother's Band Club, and the Women's Nebraska Aviation Trade Association serving as its president. She passed her Solo Pilot's license and studied for a Private Pilot's license. Gerré and Elmer were active in the Cessna 180-185 Club and Flying Farmers and flew with their private airplane regularly with these clubs to many places in the United States, Mexico, and Central America. They traveled to India twice as well as trips to the Holy Land, Philippines, Australia, Argentina, and Europe. In addition to all of these things, she maintained her desire to be an artist. She was particularly a portrait artist painting portraits for friends and on commission of loved ones even after their death. She painted murals for a number of church baptisteries. One of her murals graces the Nolde Community Center's reception room. She sold some of her paintings but many hung in her own home and the homes of family and friends. Through the art clubs in Omaha and Hastings, she took up other forms of art including jewelry making and using an acetylene torch for sculpture in addition to traditional clay sculpture and molded polyethylene resin. She was a regular art judge for many art contests and for the Sutton school. Gerré was also an athlete pitching for the Sutton Girls' Softball team for many years even into her 60s. She golfed and played tennis. She took up skiing at the age of 60, and played volleyball and softball in the Senior Olympics a number of years. She is survived by her sons, Elmer III of San Francisco, CA; Steven and wife Ann of Lincoln residing in Asia; David and wife Hannele of Sutton, NE; 5 grandchildren, Jaana Pauls and her husband Joel of Alexandria, VA; Aaron Plettner and his wife Rebecca of Sutton, NE; Caleb Plettner and his wife Suzy of Lincoln, NE; Jed Plettner and his wife Melissa of Lincoln, NE; and Nina Plettner of Lincoln, NE. She is also survived by her sister Virginia (Griess) Tribble of Lincoln, NE; sister Marilyn (Griess) Potter and her husband Carl of Lincoln, NE; brother Ron Griess and his wife Marge of Lincoln, NE; brother-in-law Eldon "Dutch" Plettner and wife Betty of Sutton, NE; sister-in-law Evelyn (Plettner) Hardin of Seattle, WA; and sister-in-law Etta Jean (Plettner) Janzen and husband Hank of Henderson, NE. At her death Gerré had 6 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. All will miss her. Gerré was preceded in death by her husband Elmer Jr. in 2003, her youngest son Lon in 1981, her parents, older brother Rubert Griess, and sister Norma (Griess) Shumaker.

Tributes

Geraldine Wilhelmina Plettner

August 19, 1921 - December 14, 2012