Frank W. Plummer, a long-time resident of Keene, NH, died on Thursday, July 21 at age 79 while hiking Bald Mountain/Rondaxe with members of his family in the Adirondack woods in upstate New York.
Frank passed away on the trail with his hiking boots on and his walking stick in his hand.
Frank was born on October 28, 1931 in Wilmington, Delaware to Richard and Dorothy (Lawrence) Plummer and spent most of his childhood growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and in Mexico City, Mexico.
After attending the American School in Mexico City, graduating from Vermont Academy in 1949 and from Yale University in 1953, Frank was commissioned an officer in the United States Air Force at the end of the Korean War and served on active duty and then in the reserves until 1960.
In August of 1959, Frank married Sallie Ann Decker, then a resident of New York City, and together they welcomed their daughter, Ellen W., born in 1960.
Soon afterward, Frank returned with his family to Mexico City where he eventually managed the country operations of American Can Corporation.
While living in Mexico, his family welcomed two sons, Richard W. born in 1963 and Lawrence A. born in 1970.
Continuing his career as an international businessman, Frank and his family relocated in 1977 to Wilton, Connecticut and later to Keene, New Hampshire in 1987.
Frank retired from Markem, Inc.
Frank’s interests were quite varied. An avid outdoorsman, Frank climbed all the trailed high peaks in the Adirondack Mountains, organized the first Boy Scout group to hike a 50 mile wilderness trail outside of Mexico City, and paddled, hiked, skied, and snowshoed countless miles in New York and New England.
A longtime aviator, he was once active with the Civil Air Patrol, is a past president of the Monadnock Pilots Association, and was a flight instructor at Daniel Webster College.
As a lover of music, Frank sang with the Keene Cheshiremen Barbershop Chorus, the Keene Chorale, and joined for many years in the annual singing of Handel’s Messiah.
Frank was also a rabid fan of the Keene Swamp Bats.
Frank volunteered a number of years with the Boy Scouts, both in Mexico and the United States, and as a Little League baseball umpire. He was an active member of the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church serving on its board and finance committee and sang tenor in the church choir.
He was also a longtime volunteer pilot for Angel Flight providing air transport to children needing medical care.
In addition, having grown up around horses and once an avid polo player, Frank most recently served 16 years as a volunteer with Miracles in Motion of Keene, a provider of equestrian therapy to disabled children and adults.
Frank is survived by his wife Sallie of Keene; his daughter Ellen and her partner Elizabeth of Blacksburg, Va.; his son Richard and his grandson Joseph of Central, SC; his son Lawrence, daughter-in-law Wendy Beth, and grandson Jacob of Norman, OK; his brother James and sister-in-law Juliana of Montpelier, Vt.; and two nieces and five nephews.
No service is planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his honor to Miracles in Motion, 118 Wyman Road, Keene, NH 03431, www.mimnh.org.
Dimbley, Friedel, Williams & Edmunds of Utica, NY are in charge of arrangements.
