September 2, 1931 – April 22, 2021

Frank Plut passed away peacefully on April 22, 2021, surrounded by family, at Kamloops Seniors Village. He was 89 years old.

Frank was born in Princeton, BC on September 2, 1931, then moved to Osoyoos, BC where at the age of 4 he helped plant the family orchard. In addition to school and working on the farm, Frank found time to enjoy baseball, time with his horses and rodeoing. The young cowboy soon caught the eye of his future wife Kathleen. They were married in North Vancouver in November of 1953 and started a family. A work opportunity with BC Tel brought Frank and his family to Kamloops in 1966 and they set down deep roots. He stayed with BC Tel throughout his career, installing many of the first single-line phones in remote communities like Whistler, Bella Coola, Bralorne and the Gang Ranch. He would return from his out-of-town trips with new recipes, gifts from the locals and invariably some good tales; he was a gifted story-teller.

Frank had a large family and enjoyed spending time with them. Family vacations were spent together either on a road trip in the station wagon or off camping. He was proud of his children and all their accomplishments and was further blessed with 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He was always glad for their visits and especially loved to gather at Christmas. Frank was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish for 55 years and made many friends there. He served as an usher at church and called bingo for many years. He played a good game of cribbage, loved to hunt and fish and grew a large garden each year. He loved a good joke, laughed loudly and made the best cowboy breakfasts.

After retirement Frank stayed young spending time with his horses. He’d head off into the hills around Knutsford to count cattle then meet afterwards at the Place Inn to have coffee with buddies and ‘chew the fat’. He was a drover for many years at the Kamloops Cattle Drive, loved team penning, and meeting old friends at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton. Frank and Kay also enjoyed traveling: from Alaska to Hawaii, from California to Texas and New York; across Australia and New Zealand; and to Slovenia to visit relatives and his parents’ birthplace. He loved to travel but was always happy to return home as he believed that he lived “in God’s country.”

Frank is survived by his six children: Cathy Wilcox (Tom), Lynn deBruijn (Karl), Mary Plut, John Plut (Gilda Oliverio), Sandra Arends (John), and Maureen Plut (Tony Gasparin); sister-in-law Yvonne Miller; grandchildren Mike (Risha), Kurt (Dayle), Meg (Anton), Sam, Jake (Joyce), Catie (Darcy), Matt, Luke (Nick), Giuliana (Matt), Ben, Jack and Ava; great-grandchildren Emma and Lars; brothers Martin, Luis and Joseph and many nieces and nephews. Frank was predeceased by his parents Martin and Agnes, his wife Kathleen (Kay) in 2009, infant daughter Susan, sisters Frances, Marg and Agnes, brothers Stanley and Wesley, sister-in-law Marie, brothers-in-law David and Ian, son-in-law Brian MacDonald and nephew Martin Delaney.

The family would like to thank all the caregivers, friends and family who supported and visited Dad in his home over the last few years. We would especially like to thank Carole Carroll, Hinke Floris, and his nephew Martin who always brought coffee and enjoyed talking as much as Dad did. Kamloops Seniors Village was Dad’s home for the past 3 years and the family would like to thank the staff who cared for and supported him and us during his stay there. A private Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 29, 2021 for immediate family, followed by a private family graveside ceremony. Live streaming of the service can be accessed online on Thursday at 9:00 am at: https://www.distantlink.com/SCIBC4.html.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the BCSPCA (horse rescue) by phoning 1-855-622-7722 in Frank’s memory, or to a charity of your choice.

You may express condolences by visiting Schoening Funeral Service.

• Date : 2021-04-22
• Location : Kamloops