Patricia Rae Plum

Patricia Rae Plum, 86, of Kingsport, TN, passed March 17 at Holston Valley Medical Center, in the company of two of her brothers.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Plum; brothers, Dave Stephan and Robert Stephan; and step-son, Richard Plum Jr.

She is survived by her brothers, Richard Stephan and William Stephan; nieces and nephews, Catherine Dutcher, Elizabeth Julius, Douglas Stephan, Peggy Stephan, Scott Stephan, Kim Cabral, and Randy Stephan; step-daughters, Lu-Ann Peters, Shyrl Plum, and Carol Christensen; grandson, Matt Peters; and several grand-nieces and nephews.

Born in 1929 in Storm Lake, Iowa to Raymond and Florence Stephan, Pat was raised in Paynesville, MN and graduated from Paynesville High School in 1947. She took a job that same year as a telephone operator at Bell System, quickly advancing to Operator Supervisor.

In 1952, Pat met and married Donald Christensen. She continued working for Bell, earning promotions along the way. The couple moved to Santa Rosa, CA following Donald's retirement in 1976.

After she was widowed in 1978, Pat stayed in Santa Rosa near her parents and four brothers. She continued to work for the Bell System, where she met an electrical engineer named Richard Plum. A workplace romance blossomed and the couple married in 1985. Traveling to Europe aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, the couple returned on the Concorde to begin a life of travel and adventure. Pat and Dick embarked on a series of global explorations that included the Great Wall of China, the Incan ruins at Machu Picchu and a ride on a camel in Egypt.

They lived in Red Bank, NJ for a decade before finally settling in Kingsport, TN in 1995. Pat became a master quilter, meeting with friends every Tuesday to practice the craft. After Dick died in 2005, Pat stayed at their home in Kingsport, spending time with friends from her quilting group and neighborhood. She also continued to travel, often visiting her family in California and even taking a motorhome trip through Denali National Park in Alaska.

Memorial Services are scheduled for Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 2 p.m. at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home, 117 E. Charlemont Ave., Kingsport TN.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Fish Hospitality Pantries, 800 S. Northshore Dr., Knoxville, TN 37919.