Margaret Plucenik

Margaret “Margie” Plucenik is now with the Lord. The loving and devoted wife of Walter “Nick” Plucenik chose heaven over separation from her lifelong sweetheart of 63 years after battling a lengthy illness. Margie was a prayer warrior who simply knew it was time to embrace her Godly home.

Born in Scranton in 1936, the former Margaret Mellen died peacefully at Vitas Hospice in Delray Beach, Florida, on September 27, 2020. Members of her immediate family were able to share their comforting messages of love right until the end.

As well as being a terrific wife to her loyal husband Nick, who devoted tireless effort in taking care of his bride through her long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Margie was also a great mother who leaves behind three children, Emilee Foster, son-in-law William (Bill) Foster, John Plucenik, daughter-in-law Petra Plucenik and Catherine Romano, son-in-law Peter Romano (deceased) . Their lives will be forever enriched by her selfless love.

Margie loved her many grandchildren including Emilee’s twins, Alexander and Danielle and her Florida grandchildren, Sofia, Isabella and Nicolo. She loved Johnnie Jr. and his four siblings, Danny, Drena, Joshua and Rachael, and their many children right up to the last baby, Rocco, who always lit up the room with smiles and giggles when in her company.

Margie enjoyed her visits to New York to see her daughter Emilee and her son-in-law Bill who loved her very much. Margie and Bill enjoyed sharing recipes and their love for cooking. Her family recipes will be part of her legacy as well as her generous and kind heart. Margie was a loving and nurturing grandmother to her first grandchildren, Alex and Danielle, and they will forever cherish the memories, fun and laughter that she enriched their lives with.

Margie loved listening to Johnny Cash in her son’s car during their trips to John’s Italian restaurant in Hamlin, a regular occurrence during her last years in Pa.

Margie and Nick enjoyed being snowbirds at their Delray Beach home and spending holidays with Peter, Cathy, Sofia, Isabella, Nicolo and their many fur babies. She was able to enjoy many visits with her grandchildren in Florida as well as trips with them to Disney. She especially loved watching Nicolo’s baseball games and attending Sofia and Isabella’s ballet performances. She had a special way of always making the kids laugh and making every moment they spent with her unforgettable.

Margie always had a sparkle in her eye, wore a big smile and had an infectious enthusiasm about her. The last survivor of five siblings, she will be remembered as an incredible wife, mom, grandma and person whose love and laughter will be missed by countless family, friends and neighbors to whom she brought much joy. She overcame many early challenges in life, from losing her father Michael in a tragic accident when she was only nine months old to losing her 12-year old sister Irene to pneumonia when she was five. Her mother Catherine passed away at 57 when Margie was only 22. After attending Taylor High School where she was courted by Nick, Margie also worked at Topps Factory and as a presser at Rhonda’s Sportswear before becoming a full time homemaker.

Margie was the youngest of five children, preceded in death by Irene, Paul, Michael and Marion, her lifelong best friend and her son-in-law Dr. Peter Romano who always took such good care of her. Margie and her kids loved spending time on Reynolds Avenue in Taylor where she grew up enjoying her family. The neighborhood included her sister Marion, brother-in-law Edmund, her brother Michael, and her Uncle Walter and Aunt Sophie, who helped to raise her. Other family members included cousins, nieces and nephews. Her sister Marion’s kids; Kathy, Karen, Maryanne and Eddie, considered her a “second mother.”

Margie and Nick were inseparable as they enjoyed winters in their Delray Beach condo and the rest of the year in their beautiful country home in Jefferson Township for the last several decades. It was the second of two new homes Nick built for his family, the first being in Old Forge where they spent 25 years after moving from their native Scranton, her birthplace. Margie loved her many neighbors, including the Keatings who owned a dairy farm where she enjoyed watching the cows drink from her backyard well and visit from their dogs. Margie was born with the gift of hospitality, extending it to many four-legged friends too! Her back porch had frequent visitors of cats and dogs sniffing out treats and enjoying a scratch on the back. Margie and Nick enjoyed traveling and one of their last trips was a wonderful cruise with her Delray neighbors.

Margie and Nick hosted many memorable Christmas and holiday celebrations as well as good old fashioned family barbecues and celebrations, including watching Penn State football games. Margie made anyone who came through their door feel like family, wherever she lived, especially her “second son”, Bobby Mills, who visited frequently and whom she loved dearly. And somehow after all the family poker and monopoly games, Margie would end up smiling with the biggest pile of pennies and deeds ... and everyone loved it! You could never visit Margie without enjoying some of her delicious baked cookies and desserts or taking home a pan of her home made delicacies, including manicotti, lasagna or many polish dishes. Besides being a great cook, seamstress and homemaker, the Polish Scranton native would never turn down a chance to dance the polka. She was even able to teach her nurses and therapists the three-step right to the very end.

A family remembrance of Margie is being planned for the Northeast Pennsylvania area in 2021. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or to an animal shelter of your choice. Nick and all their children would like to thank all of the people who have reached out to them with wonderful consoling words and beautiful memories. Her family is thankful for the priceless times spent with Margie and would appreciate keeping those memories alive in our hearts so we all can pass her love and kindness on to others.