November 12, 1937 – April 1, 2024
Mell Ren Plunk, 86, of Temple, TX., passed away on April 1, 2024. His funeral service will be on Friday, April 12, 2024, at First Baptist Church of Belton, at 2:00pm. Visitation will be one hour before.
Mr. Plunk was born on November 12, 1937, to Melvin Henson Plunk and Bertha Lee (Taylor) Plunk, in Dallas, TX. He married his wife, Sue Briggs, on August 29,1958. He was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Belton.
Mell grew up in a humble household, coming to know the Lord through his mother at the age of nine. He went on to attend the University of Corpus Christi on a track and baseball scholarship. There he met the love of his life, Suzie, and majored in Speech and Biblical Studies. He and Suzie went on to raise three boys and serve as missionaries with the IMB in South America for the next forty years, primarily in Argentina. He is remembered by most as a driven and integrous man in pursuit of his personal and professional goals and a faithful and obedient man in pursuit of knowing the Lord and doing His will.
And while we honor him for his many years of service and dedication to preaching the gospel cross-culturally, we also honor him for his personal devotion to the Lord, leading his family in the way of truth, and loving people when little recognition was given. Like the way he served as an interim pastor for several churches years after retirement. The way he was the last person to leave the building each Sunday because he insisted on shaking everyone’s hand goodbye after the service. The way he would always have a mint in his pocket ready to give his grandchildren. The way he would spend hours in his office each week studying the Bible and writing new sermons just in case a church needed him to fill in. The way he consistently deep cleaned the house for his wife into their old age so that she wouldn’t have to. The way he would get down on the ground to play dominoes with his great grandchildren. And the way he started a Sunday night service in the lobby of his assisted living because he saw a need and was willing to share the truth with anyone who would listen.
Mell was marked by a love for God’s Word and a deep conviction to live purposefully wherever he was. Into his final days he was sharing the gospel with the hospital staff and carried a hope and anticipation for his true Home. He loved his wife and family with unwavering loyalty, paved a way for many to know and experience God, and left a legacy of authentic faith for us all to stand on. To the man who always had a good story to tell and continues living through our stories, we love you, Poppy.
He is preceded in death by his father, Melvin Henson Plunk; mother, Bertha Lee Taylor; and brother, Jerry Len Plunk.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Sue Plunk; three sons, Jamey Plunk and wife Miriam, Dan Reed Plunk, and David Plunk and wife Sheila; six grandchildren, Chelsea, Katie, Tori, Zachary, Kendra, and Maci; 10 great grandchildren, and sister Jan and husband Terry.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Baptist Church of Belton Building Fund, or Antioch Ministries International-Team Athens Refugees. For giving instructions see below:
First Baptist Church of Belton Building Fund
506 North Main Street
Belton, Texas 76513
Antioch Ministries International
Memo Line: ‘Team Athens Refugees’
505 N 20th St Waco, TX 76707
