Thomas V. “Tom” Plunket, 67, of Palmyra, passed away at home surrounded by his family on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. He was the husband of Sharon L. (Bachman) Plunket, with whom he celebrated 40 years of marriage.
Tom was born in Altoona, PA on May 23, 1953, to Bennie Roy and Patricia Louise (Bender) Plunket of Altoona. He was a 1971 Altoona High School graduate. Tom, along with his business partner, Wayne Laughner, founded South Mountain Corporation, a kiddie ride company, in 1983. In 16 years, Tom and Wayne took the company from one ride in one mall to thousands of rides in over 700 malls across the county. The company established a relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and, for five years, all proceeds from the “Rainbow” horse kiddie ride benefited the charity. Outside of his job, Tom was a lifelong sports fan; he was an outstanding high school and college wrestler; he coached youth baseball and football, and most recently, he was a golf coach for the Special Olympics. Tom’s true passion was golf, and he traveled the world playing at the best courses. He loved spending time with his family and with his beloved dog, Foxy. He was an exemplary husband, father, son, brother, and friend. Tom had a knack for making everyone feel accepted, comfortable, and loved, and he was able to bring a smile or laugh to everyone that he met.
Surviving, in addition to his parents and his wife, is his children, Thomas “Tommy” Plunket, II, and his wife, Ashlyn, of Quincy, MA, Tasha Plunket, and her husband, Eric Wardrop, of Lancaster, granddogs, Parker, Shelby, and Jordan, and his siblings, Joe Plunket, Cathy Chirdon, and Sue Boore, all of Altoona.
Services will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Lebanon County Special Olympics, P.O. Box 1018, Lebanon, PA 17042, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
