Andre Plancon

Retired Sergeant

First Class

A memorial service for friends and family of Andre Plancon will take place Wednesday, October 19, at 11 am, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Newtown. Mr Plancon, 71, Buckeye, Ariz., formerly of Danbury, lost his fight with cancer July 15. A service was held in El Mirage, Ariz., July 19, prior to cremation.

Mr Plancon will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Friday, October 21. He was very proud of the men and women who have served and continue to serve this great country, and to be laid by their sides.

He served as a guard at Garner Correctional Institution in the mid-1990s, and maintained friendships with many from Newtown that he met during that time.

Mr Plancon joined the US Army in 1958, giving his country 23 years of service, in Korea, and Vietnam. He earned many medals, including the Bronze Medal Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.

He married the love of his life, Jacqueline Lee Benton of Hawleyville, March 23, 1968. Their marriage took them around the world, making friends and creating memories that lasted a lifetime.

As a young man, he frequented the Danbury Roller Rink and was the National Roller Skating Champion in 1945. He was known for his humor, quick wit, and fast smile. A prankster, he had a great sense of humor and robust laugh, which carried him through his life.

Mr Plancon took great delight in his two children, Margaret Edith Plancon and Andrew Douglas Plancon, and his four grandchildren.

Besides his wife, children, and grandchildren, Mr Plancon is survived by three brothers, three sisters, and many other relatives, nieces, and nephews to whom he was the favorite Uncle, Grandpa, Pop Pop, Big Daddy, and Cookie Monster.

Memorial donations may be made to any veterans charity, the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org; or the American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org.

The Newtown Bee        October 14, 2011