Hal Plenge

Hal Gibbons Plenge age 77 of Kahoka, MO, passed away at the UnityPoint Health - Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, IA, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, surrounded by his family.

The son of Harry L. and Violet L. (Hoewing) Plenge, he was born in Keokuk, IA on September 21, 1947; a date of such significance that it was forever immortalized by the band Earth, Wind & Fire.

He was united in marriage and is survived by his former wife and mother of his children, Vicki L. Morgan (Pitford), on December 6, 1974, at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Kahoka, MO, and to this union 4 children were born.

Hal was a 1966 Clark County High School graduate. After graduating he then entered the United States Army in 1968 where he served as a Mail Clerk while stationed in Germany. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he started working for the Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) in 1974 as a Crane Operator and within a few years had received his qualification to become a Locomotive Engineer; a position he held until he retired in 2018 after 44 years of service. He was raised as a member of St. Paul Church where he regularly attended and offered his support until health complications prevented him from doing so. He always stressed the importance of going to church to his children and took great joy watching them grow up as members of the congregation, singing in Children’s, Youth and Senior Choirs and even providing special music on occasion. If you caught him in an exceptionally good mood, he would even be willing to overlook the distractions his children would inevitably cause during service. He always insisted on having photos taken before the Annual Father/Son Banquet that was held at St. Paul and took great pride in watching his family continue to grow as his grandchildren were born. Hal was known as a caretaker of the land. He always put in a big garden (entirely too big according to his children) and loved to share his produce with family and friends. Hal enjoyed playing cards, checkers and chess but his absolute favorite was the board game “Risk” where he insisted on being pink, which was retired by his children in his honor. Many nights were spent trying to prevent pink from achieving world domination, most of them were in vain! Hal enjoyed listening to music, especially Scott Joplin Ragtime’s on the piano, getting his daily dose of Fox News and watching sports where he was an avid Chicago Bears fan. Anybody that knew Hal would tell you that he was pretty laid back, easygoing, didn’t know a stranger and believed in paying it forward. Hal was also very proud of his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren and made sure he told them often. They were all very special to him and he looked forward to getting together with them whenever he had the opportunity.

Hal is survived by his 3 sons: HL (Rachel) Plenge of Kahoka, MO., Samuel (Shelby) Plenge of Keokuk, IA., Andrew (Misty) Plenge of Montrose, IA., 1 daughter: Anna (Kelly) Yates of Kahoka, MO., 15 grandchildren: Mikayla, Taylan, Adalyn, Rylen, Kaden, Wesley, Madisyn, Hadlee, Sadie, Cole, Macie, Dalton, Caydance, Jaxson, Chloe, 1 sister: Susanne (Dean) Webster of Kahoka, MO., other relatives and a host of friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister in infancy: Helen Margaret Plenge, 2 brothers: Henry Hoewing Plenge and Hugh Muhrer Plenge, and a niece Lisa Louise Webster.

Funeral Services with full Military Rites for Hal Plenge will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, January 24, 2025, at the Wilson & Triplett Funeral Home in Kahoka, MO. Rev Dan Moore will officiate. Burial at the St. Paul Cemetery, Kahoka, MO. Visitation with family present will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Wilson & Triplett Funeral Home.  Memorial contributions in memory of Hal Plenge are suggested to the St. Paul Cemetery. 

Condolences may be left for the family at www.wilsontriplett.com