Let me tell you a little bit about our son, John. He was born November 16, 1953 at MacDill Air Force Base Hospital which at that time consisted of several old World War II wooden army barracks connected together with wooden ramps (not too impressive). It was a humble beginning.
By the time John was two-and-a-half years old, we were on our way to England on an ocean liner. We spent three years there and then returned to the U.S. where we were assigned to Loring Air Force Base in Maine. There John got to know my family, especially lots of cousins. We used to have family pot-luck picnics at our house and everyone, kids and adults alike, would play volleyball. By the age of seven, his Uncle Greg would let John drive the tractor in slow gear in the potato fields during rock picking season. He just loved this! And it made Greg his favorite forever. John has always kept in touch with him.
We left Maine in 1963 for Homestead AFB in Florida where John went to school for four years at Sacred Heart Academy. John would go visit the Sisters on weekends and mop and wax their floors or do other chores for them. No one asked him to. He just knew they needed help, and he did it. John was always eager to help. Then we moved back to Tampa to be close to family while I was in Vietnam. John was the oldest so he took on the role of “father figure” for his eight younger siblings while I was away. We returned to Homestead AFB where we stayed until his last year of high school. John finished his senior year at Jefferson High in Tampa. He had participated in Civil Air Patrol in Homestead, and after graduation he decided to join the Air Force.
After basic training, John was assigned to Vietnam and Laos. He was in munitions so his job was loading bombs. He came home after serving four years in the Air Force and started college courses at Hillsborough Community College. Then John told us he had decided to become a priest. He completed his four year degree at Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio and then went on to the major seminary, St. Vincent de Paul, in Boynton Beach, FL. John was ordained a priest in May of 1984.
John was assigned to Nativity parish in Brandon as an Assistant Pastor and then to St. Rita’s parish in Dade City as Pastor. He was commissioned into the Air Force in 1994, attained the rank of Captain, and served as a Chaplain in Okinawa and Bosnia. He often talked about the people he served there as “family” and spoke of how they welcomed him into their hearts and homes. He left the Air Force in 1998 and was assigned Pastor of St. Anthony’s in Brooksville, FL. John was a priest for eighteen years.
John later left the priesthood and was married to Mary Green for a few years. Together they had two sons, James John and Gregory Thomas. Oftentimes, John would bring them over for dinner so we could get to know and love his children like he did.
John loved animals! As a child he would bring cats into the house, even though Henri was allergic to them, and he would walk around with a cat around his neck. Throughout his life he had birds, cats, and dogs that he loved dearly. John also loved music. He loved to play the guitar and sing. He taught Mary Sue and Rosie how to play and would often hold sing-a-longs with family and friends.
John was always a giving person. Anxious to help where he could. He went out of his way to bring people together who could learn from each other and help one another. We love you, John! God’s speed on your way to heaven!
Love Dad & Mom
John Gregory Plourde passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the age of 66. John is survived by his parents, Alfred (Pete) Plourde and Henri Pollman Plourde, eight siblings, Steve (and Barbara) Plourde, Peter Plourde, Bruce (and Jeannine) Plourde, Joy (and Bill) Stephen, Chad (and Jackie) Plourde, Angie (and Layne) Williams, Mary Sue (and Robert) Kosky, Rosie (and Alphi) Alfonso, and John’s two sons, JJ and Greg. A funeral and celebration of life will be held at St. Francis Catholic Church on Monday, August 17th, at 1pm and it will be "livestreamed" via Facebook for friends and family to join remotely. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Charities.
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