Ray Arno Plagens Sr., of Homestead, FL, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family at The Palace Gardens in Homestead, FL on October 7th, 2023 at the age of 91.
Ray was born to the late Alvin and Gladys Plagens and his childhood was spent mostly in Rochester, MI. After high school, Ray went on to graduate from Michigan State University with a B.S. degree in Economics and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army from ROTC.
Prior to entering the active Army, Ray returned home to Rochester and it was there he met his loving wife of almost 58 years, Yvonne (Rosie) Rosalie Plagens (Martindale) of Drayton Plains, MI. They had a military wedding in Fort Bliss, TX near El Paso.
Ray is survived by his three adoring children: Ray A. Plagens, Jr. (Julie) of Elkhart, IN; Ross B. Plagens of Cheyenne, WY; and Dawn L. Baird (Neville) of Homestead, FL.
Ray has six beautiful grandchildren: Christine (Liam) Mulcahy of Jacksonville, FL and Sean (Ali) Baird of Elkhart, IN; Ross Jr. (Sueline) and Kuasha Plagens of Denver, CO; and Marisa and Morgan Plagens of Elkhart, IN.
His legacy continues with three precious great- grandchildren, Ayana Plagens of Denver, Merric Mulcahy of Jacksonville, and Brysen Plagens of Denver.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosie, brother Roy (Beth) Plagens of Holly, MI, and his parents, originally from Romeo, MI.
Ray lived a happy and blessed life with Rosie and his children and made many, many friends as he lived in Clarkston, MI; Royal Oak, MI; Long Lake, MN; Homestead, FL; and Sebring, FL before returning to Homestead to live with his daughter, Dawn, and later to move into The Palace Gardens.
Ray loved sports, particularly fishing of any kind, and golf. Ray coached all his kids in tee ball and onto baseball as they grew, and spent a lot of quality time with his family. Ray also served as the Chief of Tribe for the Indian Guides (with Ray and Ross) where he was known as Big Beaver. Ray was crazy good with crossword puzzles and did one (very quickly) just about every day of his life. Ray was also an exceptional card player, and taught the family the joys of euchre as a way for all of us to play a game together (competively I might add).
Professionally, Ray was a senior sales executive in group health insurance for many years. He represented National Casualty in Detroit, MI, and was promoted and moved to Minneapolis, MN with the John Alden Company. He then was promoted to Senior Vice President for the Florida Region for John Alden, and transferred to Miami, FL. Ray retired early at age 57 and traveled on long trips all over the USA with Rosie in their camper.
Ray served in the US Army as a field artillery officer and continued his service in the Michigan National Guard after he left active duty upon graduation from the Officer Basic Course. He rose to the rank of Captain, and commanded a battery in the Michigan National Guard for several years.
When Ray moved to Florida for his work, he was allowed to transfer into the Florida National Guard as a senior non-commissioned officer. He ultimately served as the First Sergeant of the Headquarters Company of a Theater Support Group. He retired in his highest rank as Captain, US Army (Retired) with a full 20 years of faithful service to our great country. Ray received many commendations including the Meritorious Service Medal.
Ray was loved by many and he will be sorely missed. We also celebrate that he now rests in peace with the Lord, with his wife, brother, and parents. He taught his children to live life honorably with moral courage to do the right thing. He taught us to be self independent and to be kind to others. His legacy is rich and worthy of honor. His life was full and deserving of celebration by all who were touched by this amazing man, husband, father, grandfather, and loving friend.
His wishes for cremation will be fulfilled and the family is looking to celebrate his life on November 24, 2023 at 12 PM at Lakeview Memorial Gardens, 854 Memorial Dr, Avon Park, FL 33825, (863) 658-4265. His ashes will be laid to rest beside those of his wife, Rosie.
Donations can be made in Ray’s honor to the Wounded Warrior Project, (855)448-3997, or by giving at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
