June 18, 1917 - Nov. 2, 2008

Anna Victoria Plunkett, 91, formerly of Lebanon, died Sunday at the Marysville Nursing Home in Beaverton.

Anna was born in Smithville, Okla., the daughter of John and Lulu (Campbell) Harpending. She spent her youth in Smithville, where she was an honor roll student, played on several athletic teams, and helped her mother with the family café after her parents lost their life savings in the Depression.

She married Doyal Dalton Plunkett in 1939 in Waldron, Ark. She remained in Smithville with her infant son, Dalton, while her husband worked in Arkansas and Illinois. Dalton was soon joined by baby sister Carol, and the family moved to California and Arkansas in search of work. They moved to Lebanon in 1948 where they lived until 2000. Anna worked at the battery separator plant (a division of US Plywood), a fruit and vegetable cannery, as a school cafeteria cook, and a sales representative for Cornet Films.

Although Anna was an excellent cook, she preferred to spend her time outdoors. She and Doyal lived near River Road in Lebanon, where they had a large garden and many flowers. Anna often appeared in the local newspaper in pictures of her garden, proudly displaying very large or unusual produce. She loved to travel, and she was fond of saying she and Doyal had visited almost every state, plus Canada and Mexico, in their motor home. She also enjoyed hunting and fishing and never missed the opening season of either.

She and Doyal had a wide circle of friends and constantly had visitors to their home. She was proud of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and celebrated their many accomplishments. Anna had a special place in her heart for her beloved pet, Daisy, a West Highland terrier who was her close companion for a number of years.

She was active in her church throughout her life, most recently the Waterloo Chapel in Lebanon and the Westside Church in Beaverton. A day did not go by when she did not read her Bible.

She is survived by her children, Dalton of Beaverton and Carol of Whidby Island, Wash.; brother Jack Harpending of Lebanon; granddaughter Lisa Casteel and husband Matt, and great-grandchildren Caitlin and Benjamin; and grandson John Plunkett and wife Karen, and great-grandchildren Logan and Jayden.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2002.

A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Huston Jost Funeral Home in Lebanon with pastor John Wilgus officiating. Burial will follow at the Lebanon I.O.O.F. Cemetery with a reception afterward at the Waterloo Chapel.

Contributions can be made to the DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, sent in care of Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 W. Grant St., Lebanon, OR 97355 (www.hustonjost.com).