Gilbert M. Plute

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Gilbert M. Plute, 91, of Granville, at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, September 14, 2017 at The Church of St. Edward the Confessor, 785 Newark Granville Rd., Granville with Msgr. Paul P. Enke as celebrant. Burial will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Granville with full military honors rendered by the Licking County Veterans Alliance.

Gil passed away Sunday, September 10, 2017 at Middleton in Granville. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio to the late Joseph and Rose (Fink) Plute in 1926. After graduating from High School, he joined the U.S. Army and served with the 83rd Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Ohio Division”. He was an infantryman who rose to the rank of Sergeant. He served in the campaigns after the Normandy invasion in northern France. During the Battle of the Bulge, his unit was part of the force led by Gen. George Patton that broke the encircling German lines and relieved the surrounding U.S. forces. Gil also served in the final drive into Germany, and his unit helped liberate a sub-camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valor on the battlefield. Upon returning home, he furthered his education, worked as a meat cutter, farmed, and retired from teaching Vocational Agriculture. In 1980, together with his wife June, they founded Edelweiss Farm in Granville Township and became the first Farmer’s Market vendor.

Family, reading, tending the garden, and singing, especially barbershop chorus, were some of Gil’s favorite past times. He was a member of St. Edwards and a former member of Knights of Columbus Council #10876. He will be remembered for his integrity, sense of humor, and as a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

Surviving are his wife of 68 years, June; children and their spouses, David and Mary Plute, Timothy Plute, Gregory Plute, Thomas and Charlotte Plute, Richard and Mary Jane Plute, and Karen and Edward Eales; 18 grandchildren, five great grandchildren; brother, Richard; and sister, Rita.

The family will receive friends Wednesday from 5-8 P.M. at the McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home, 133 S. Prospect St., Granville. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to Honor Flight, P.O. Box 12036, Columbus, OH 43212 or American Legion Post 85, 85 S. 6th St., Newark, OH 43055.