BLAHA, Ploma F. 1912-2012
BLAHA, SCHUETTE
Posted By: Jym Montgomery (email)
Date: 7/1/2012 at 19:27:58
Ploma Frances Blaha, 99, Monona, Iowa, died Thursday, June 21, 2012, at the Good Samaritan Center, Postville, Iowa.
Ploma Frances Blaha, 99, Monona, Iowa, died Thursday, June 21, 2012, at the Good Samaritan Center, Postville, Iowa. She was born on November 26, 1912 in Giard, Iowa to Frank Victor and Anna Mary (Schuette) Blaha. Ploma was baptized on November 26, 1912 at Christian Faith Evangelical Church and confirmed on August 26, 1928 at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Ploma attended the rural Giard Country School and graduated from Monona High School in 1930, she then attended Bayless Business College in Dubuque and received her diploma in 1931. She was a clerk typist and a stenographer for many years.
Ploma enjoyed traveling, gardening, reading, crafting and creating. She was generous, loving, kind and caring with integrity, honesty and a highly developed sense of justice. She was optimistic, positive, determined and a dedicated person of life. Ploma belonged to the ALCW, Monona Kiwanis, Northern Clayton County Garden Club, Monona Senior Citizens and she was the Treasurer for 45 years for the Monona Cemetery Association. She was also a lifetime member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Monona, Iowa.
Ploma is survived by many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Marie.
Visitation will be held Monday, June 25, 2012 from 4-6 pm at the Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Monona, Iowa.
Funeral Services will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at St Paul Lutheran Church, Monona, Iowa with Rev. Scott Duffus officiating.
Burial will follow at the Monona Cemetery, Monona, Iowa.
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Remembering One of many Monona treasures, Ploma F. Blaha
Ploma F. Blaha, who passed Thursday , June 21, at the age of 99 years will be forever silenced.
I've never known her to go a day without a smile, good deed or positive thought. An avid friend of Life and Iowa.
Remarkable memory of time and events, most of her life spent in Monona, some of the later years spent in the Elkader Rest Home, Glenview Assisted living and Good Samaritan home in Postville, which in time she accepted well as Home, after a bad hip break in 2000.
A calm mind and at ease as we spoke many times daily, with her words of “how great it is we can cover so much ground in such a little time “
Yes born in 1912, East of Monona, always a farm girl at heart, daughter of a Bohemian immigrant father and German Mother.
Named after a twin cousins name who were S L O M A and Ploma.
Graduating from Monona High school in 1930, attending Bayless Business College in Dubuque, returning home to work for a local Lawyer.
Oh she loved traveling to the World’s Fairs, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1962 and in 1982, one of many hobbies, including reading, her yard, gardening, flowers, picnics, neighbors , friends and walking.
Ploma and her sister Marie took the Civil service examination, after a short silence from them she received a telegram, March 6th, from Ludwig Anderson, Monona depot agent, which read report to duty on March 10th, 1941 A.G.O. War Department, Washington D.C. as she said “that said it all”, encourage by her mother she had nothing to loose but much to gain. So four days later she was in Washington D.C., via the Zephyr from Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, she worked first in the recruiting office examining induction papers and preparing letters for the Secretary of the War, then Dec 7th, 1941 came the you know what that day was she recalled Ploma well. Pearl Harbor bombing, thus she was then sent to the Casualty office, in charge of “We regret to inform you” letters to families of their loved one’s death during the war.
So quite an adventure it was and never allowing it to interfere with her intense responsibilities of work.
In 1944 Ploma returned home, her sister Marie had been called to duty in 1942, working for the State Department. Ploma returning to care for her elder parents,
In returning home she worked for Union State Bank in Monona from 1944 through 1966. Clerked auction sales. She later worked for the George Heins Law Firm and the Kramer Law Firm, retiring in 1970 when Marie her sister returned home to retire. Yet Ploma still working part time for the Kramer Law Firm.
Ploma always had the bug for community service, civic organizations and did her utmost best enjoying it and living in Monona. Serving the Monona Cemetery Association from 1954 to 2000, and forget not being the First Woman to become a member of the Kiwanis Club International (Local Chapter), Years with the Boy scouts of America, Garden club, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Church groups, Senior Citizens, Monona Historical Society, to which Willa Helwig and her were involved in starting the Monona Historical Society and acquiring the Monona Museum and the list goes on with endless giving to Monona.
Establishing Church, College and High school scholarships with her sister Marie. She wanted to help and they did.
So this great neighbor and lifetime friend, I have but touched on a few of her accomplishments in her life, the gusto for life she had, our great daily chat sessions, smiles and endless energy for so many years and how blessed we were to have her reside in our Community, in our neighborhood for the most part of those years and yet remained in contact till the end, so yet in Heart and spirit still connected.
Gone but never to be forgotten my friend and neighbor we will truly miss your spirit, smile and/or forget all you’ve done for Monona and our Country , thus a previous one from us has gone, a voice we loved is stilled, a place is vacant in our Community, which never can be filled, and though your body slumbers here, the soul is safe in heaven for sure.
Jym Montgomery
Clayton Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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