PLUMB
PLUMMER
PLUMPTON
PLUMRIDGE
PLUNKETT
PLUMB o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-18 published
BURLAND,
Charlotte
A. "
Gale"
Passed away at the Milton District Hospital on Tuesday, October 16,
2007. Gale
BURLAND, a member of the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly
of Milton, formerly of Shelburne, Nova Scotia and Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan.
Loving mother of Doctor Susan G.
BURLAND and her husband
George T. PLUMB of Hinsdale, Illinois, Anne L.
BURLAND of Albany,
New York, and William B.
BURLAND of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Dear sister of June D. and her husband John R.
GREGORY of Caledon,
Ontario. Dear aunt of Lesley
GREGORY and her husband Colin
RICHARDS,
Charlotte GREGORY and Taylor
GREGORY.
Gale will also be missed
by her cousins. Family and Friends are invited to visit at the
McKersie-Kocher Funeral Home 114 Main St. Milton 905-878-4452
from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Thursday. A Baha'i Service will
be held on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 11: 00 a.m. at Victoria
Lawn Cemetery in St. Catharines. Memorial donations to the charity
of your choice would be appreciated. Letters of condolence may
be left for the family at www.mckersie-kocher.ca
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PLUMB o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-13 published
DUBOIS,
Macy
We announce with great sadness that Macy
DUBOIS passed away suddenly
on November 9th, 2007. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland,
on December 20th, 1929, Macy obtained an Engineering Physics
degree from Tufts University, served as an officer in the U.S.
Navy, and received his Masters of Architecture from Harvard University
in 1958.
In addition to having been the principal of a successful architectural
practice, he was President of the Royal Architectural Institute
of Canada, President of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts,
an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Chairman
of the Toronto Chapter of the Ontario Association of Architects
and a teacher and lecturer at numerous Universities in Canada
and the United States.
Macy is survived by his wife
Helga
PLUMB, his children Mark and
Lindsay DUBOIS, from his first marriage to Sarah
BUCHANAN, his
step-sons Colin and Marc
PLUMB, his granddaughters Andrea and
Sofia, his sister-in-law Mildred
DUBOIS, and their many family
members.
A small family service took place in Toronto on Monday, November 12th.
A memorial celebration will be held at a later date. In lieu
of flowers we are establishing an award in Macy's name. For further
information please contact macyduboismemorial@gmail.com
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PLUMMER o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-11-14 published
PEARCE,
Marlene
Sandra (née
PLUMMER)
Peacefully at the Collingwood Hospital on November 9th in her
66th year. Marlene, beloved wife of Albert. Loving mother of
Danny (predeceased,) Darrell and Shawn
HUGHSON.
Loving grandmother
of Kyle, Jenna, Trevor, Taylor, Tori, Teegan and Austin. Dear
daughter of the late Sandy and Grace
PLUMMER.
She will be sadly
missed by her brothers Bradley and Dale
PLUMMER. A remembrance
service of Marlene's life will be held at the New Life Brethern
In Christ Church, 28 Tracy Lane (Hwy. 124 North of Poplar S/R)
Collingwood on Friday, November 16th at 2 p.m. The family will
receive Friends after 1 p.m.
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PLUMMER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-08-25 published
Mom, 2 kids killed, son, dad injured in horrific crash
Police say the Hamilton-area crash occurred when a van ran a
stop sign.
By Rob LAMBERTI, Sun Media, Sat., August 25, 2007
Hamilton -- A family's plan of a new start to their lives ended
in tragedy when a van ran a stop sign and demolished their minivan
near Brantford, killing a mom and two of her kids.
Shannon O'LEARY, 32, and her two-month-old daughter Hailey
O'LEARY-
FERGUSON
died instantly in the 9: 06 p.m. Thursday crash at Brant County
Rd. 4 and the Burford-Delhi Townline Rd.
Shannon's daughter, Taylor
O'LEARY, 10, died at 3 a.m. yesterday
in Hamilton hospital, say Friends and neighbours, and her organs
were donated.
Her son, Ethan, 4, is in a medically induced coma following surgery
for severe head trauma and Shannon's husband, Dennis
FERGUSON,
is in stable condition.
The 21-year-old driver of the other van, a Chevy Astro, is in
grave condition. He is accused of running the stop sign and slamming
into the victims' northbound Pontiac Montana, which was almost
split in two by the tremendous impact.
Ariel VARGA, 12, said she's finding it difficult losing a close
friend. Taylor "was a good person. She was nice, She liked to
go shopping a lot," Ariel said. "She had lots of Friends around
here."
Friend Natalia
ALFANO, 9, said the neighbourhood girls would
play cheerleading, dolls and gymnastics. "It was really fun to
play with her," Natalia said. "We always used to laugh together
and play."
Ontario
Provincial
Police Const. Larry
PLUMMER said investigators
were told by a witness driving behind the Chevy Astro that there
were no brake lights before the Chevy crashed into the passenger
sliding door of the victims' Montana.
"It was an incredible, terrible impact," he said.
"We don't have a clue" why the driver failed to stop,
PLUMMER
said, adding the area is flat and it was a "beautiful moonlit
night."
"There's no rhyme or reason and the only person that obviously
knows was driving the vehicle and we don't expect to talk to
him for quite a while, if we ever do."
PLUMMER said it took Brant County volunteer firefighters about
20 minutes to free the trapped man.
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PLUMMER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-09-11 published
Woman dies in 403 crash
By Canadian Press, Tues., September 11, 2007
Brantford -- A London-area woman is dead following a car crash
on Highway 403 late yesterday afternoon.
She was killed after her eastbound car suddenly veered across
the highway into the westbound lanes and struck the rear tires
of a tractor-trailer. Ontario Provincial Police Const. Larry
PLUMMER said the woman's car was not travelling at an excessive
speed and witnesses: said it just veered across the grass median
into the path of oncoming traffic.
Her identity is expected to be released today.
This is the second fatal crash on that stretch of the highway
since Saturday.
David REGALADO, 21, of Brantford, was killed after an eastbound
stolen car he was driving drove into a westbound tractor-trailer.
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PLUMMER o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-09-12 published
London woman identified as victim in Highway 403 collision near
Brantford
By Free Press Staff, Wed., September 12, 2007
A 63-year-old London woman has been identified as the victim
of a collision on Highway 403 near Brantford Monday.
Lynda GARRETT, 63, of Thornicroft Crescent, was killed after
her eastbound silver Toyota RAV4 veered across the highway
into the west lanes and struck the rear tires of a tractor-trailer,
Brant County Ontario Provincial Police said yesterday. The accident
occurred about one kilometre west of the Wayne Gretzky Parkway
about 4: 30 p.m. Weather was not a factor, said Const. Larry
PLUMMER
of Brant County Ontario Provincial Police.
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PLUMPTON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-06-20 published
CHAPMAN, "
Frances"
Ruth
In her 82nd year Ruth passed away at Sunrise Senior Living Home
Saturday
June 16th, 2007. Loving Aunt to Barbara and Kevin
GIBSON
of Peterborough, Nancy and Brian
GUENTHER of Pickering and Donna
and Kevin PLUMPTON of Kemptville. Great Aunt to Heather, Katie
and Peter GIBSON,
John and Cameron
GUENTHER and Derek, Megan
and Dylan PLUMPTON.
Sister of the late Peter
CHAPMAN. Sister-in-law
to Beth (CHAPMAN)
MURPHY.
Ruth will also be sadly missed by her
dear friend Marjorie
TUCKER of Pender Island, British Columbia
The family will receive Friends at R.S. Kane Funeral Home, 6150 Yonge
Street (at Goulding, south of Steeles) on Saturday June 23rd,
2007 from 1: 30 to 2:30 p.m. followed by a Memorial Service at
2: 30 p.m. A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful staff at Sunrise
for their loving care. In lieu of flowers donations can be made
to the Canadian Cancer Society or a charity of choice. Condolences
- www.rskane.ca. R.S. Kane 416.221.1159
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PLUMRIDGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-04 published
ROBB,
Lyle▼
James
Peacefully, at Parkwood Hospital, on Monday, January 1, 2007,
Lyle James
ROBB, of London, in his 95th year. Loving brother
of Muriel POYNTZ.
Predeceased by brothers George (1960,) Alvin
(2000) and sisters Joan
CHALLIS (1993) and Gladys
AGAR (2003.)
Also survived by several nieces and nephews. Friends will be
received at the Evans Funeral Home, 648 Hamilton Rd. (1 block
east of Egerton), on Friday from 7-9 p.m. Funeral service will
be conducted in the Evans Chapel on Saturday, January 6, 2007,
at 1: 00 p.m. with Reverend Andrew
PLUMRIDGE officiating. Interment
in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. Friends who wish may make memorial
donations to the charity of your choice. Online condolences can
be expressed at www.evansfh.ca A tree will be planted as a living
memorial to Lyle
ROBB.
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PLUMRIDGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-13 published
ROBB,
Lyle▲
The family of the late Lyle
ROBB wish to express their sincere
appreciation to family and Friends for their kind words, donations,
cards and support shown to them during this difficult time. Special
thanks also to the staff of 5B South at Parkwood Hospital for
their care of Lyle the last six years. We would also like to
thank Evans Funeral Home for their professional help and guidance,
the Taste of Heaven caterers for the wonderful reception and
Rev. Andrew
PLUMRIDGE for the beautiful service that captured
the essence of Lyle's life. Your kindness has been appreciated
and will always be remembered. Sister Muriel and all of the family.
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PLUNKETT o@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-07-18 published
PLUNKETT,
Murray
Alan
At Hamilton General Hospital on Sunday, July 15, 2007, Murray A.
PLUNKETT of Heritage Village in Vineland, aged 81 years. Predeceased
by his wife, Marjorie in 2006. Father of Alana and her husband
Roy ANDREWS.
Also survived by grandchildren Lisa and Stephen
MOSTOWY,
Michael
BUTCHER and Jasmine
TAULLA. Predeceased by brother
Ron PLUNKETT. Survived by sister-in-law Valerie
PLUNKETT.
Cremation
has taken place. A Celebration of Murray's life will be held
at the Vineland Chapel of the Tallman Funeral Homes, 3277 King
St. on Saturday, July 21, 2007 at 10: 30 a.m. A reception will
follow in the Tallman Fireside Room. If desired, memorial donations
may be made to the charity of your choice.
Page 3
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PLUNKETT o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-08-03 published
York officer dies attempting arrest
Const. Rob
PLUNKETT, 43, was dragged by a car, pinned to a tree,
then thrown from the vehicle.
By Steve RENNIE, Canadian Press, Fri., August 3, 2007
Markham -- A pre-dawn police probe into air bag thefts turned
tragic yesterday when a veteran York Region officer died after
being dragged by a car, pinned to a tree and then thrown from
the vehicle while attempting an arrest, police said.
Const. Rob
PLUNKETT, hailed as "true hero" by his police chief,
was the force's first officer to die in the line of duty since
1984 and only the third in the department's history.
A 19-year-old man faces a manslaughter charge in the death of
the 43-year-old Markham married father of three and police said
additional charges are pending.
PLUNKETT's death came as a heavy blow to a force not accustomed
to loss, said Deputy Chief Bruce
HERRIDGE.
"It's an organization where we've not lost many officers, but
even one is one too many," said
HERRIDGE, adding that
PLUNKETT
was well-known within the force.
The▼ tragic confluence of events that sent
PLUNKETT to hospital
with fatal injuries were outlined yesterday by York police Chief
Armand LA BARGE.
During a joint investigation between 5 District criminal investigation
bureau and the York police special services unit into airbag
thefts, police surveillance officers spotted two Hondas -- one
white and one gold -- leaving a Toronto address.
Police said there have been a rash of airbag thefts since last
September and 43 thefts since January of this year. Stolen airbags
can net between $1,500 and $2,000, LA
BARGE said.
Officers believed at the time the gold Honda was stolen, LA
BARGE
said. He confirmed at the afternoon news conference the car was
indeed reported stolen.
The two Hondas were driven to a crescent in Markham, just north
of Toronto, where plainclothes officers saw the drivers park
their cars. The driver of the gold Honda opened his door and
police allege he took out a stolen air bag.
Just after 5 a.m.,
PLUNKETT moved toward the open driver's side
door of the gold Honda intending to make an arrest, said LA
BARGE.
"As Const.
PLUNKETT attempted to arrest the suspect, the suspect
put the vehicle into reverse and accelerated over a curb, across
a lawn and over several shrubs," he said.
PLUNKETT was then pinned between the open door and a tree as
the suspect kept trying to drive away, LA
BARGE said. The officer
was then dragged onto a nearby lawn and thrown from the car.
"The suspect continued to reverse across the lawn at which time
assisting officers rammed the vehicle to stop its progress,"
said LA BARGE.
A local resident, who didn't want to be named, said he heard
two loud bangs outside his window and looked out to see a man
lying on a lawn across the street.
The neighbour said he heard cries of, "He's bleeding, he's bleeding,"
shortly before an ambulance arrived.
PLUNKETT was taken to a hospital in east Toronto, where he died
of his injuries.
Nadeem JIWAH, 19, has been charged with manslaughter and police
say more charges are pending.
A second suspect, 23-year-old Baseer
YOUSAFZAI, was also arrested
and is facing charges of theft, mischief and bail violation.
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PLUNKETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-03 published
'True hero' killed in the line of duty
Two men face charges after 22-year veteran is slammed into a
tree while attempting to arrest suspected airbag thief
By Timothy
APPLEBY and Geoff
NIXON with a report by Alan
CAIRNS,
special to The Globe and Mail, Page A1
Markham, Ontario -- An undercover York Regional Police officer,
dragged to his death yesterday by an alleged car thief on a sleepy
residential street, is "a true hero" who paid the ultimate price
for his "selfless sacrifice," Police Chief Armand LA
BARGE said.
A charge of manslaughter has been laid against a 19-year-old
Toronto man, with further charges pending. A second suspect in
custody also faces an array of criminal charges.
Constable Robert
PLUNKETT was a 22-year veteran of York Regional
Police and 43-year-old father of three. He died after an abortive
5 a.m. operation when he approached the driver's side of a car
to arrest a man suspected of trying to steal airbags - a profitable
mini-industry in the auto-theft world.
The▲ suspect threw the Honda into reverse and Constable
PLUNKETT
was trapped by the open driver's-side door. The vehicle drove
over a curb, across a lawn and slammed into a tree, fatally injuring
the officer, Chief LA
BARGE said.
Backup police then rammed the vehicle and arrested the driver
as he attempted to escape. The other suspect, nearby in a second
car, was also quickly apprehended.
Rushed to Scarborough Grace Hospital, Constable
PLUNKETT died
soon afterward - the first York Regional Police officer killed
in the line of duty in more than 20 years.
The slain officer once won a bravery reward for rescuing an elderly
woman from a frozen lake and was renowned for his work on behalf
of the Special Olympics, a forum for disabled athletes.
"Rob and police officers like him are true pillars of the community
that we serve, and their selfless sacrifice and their hard work
ensures that the communities that we call home are safe places
in which to live and to raise a family," Chief LA
BARGE said.
Asked if Constable
PLUNKETT's approach of the suspect was in
line with normal procedure, Chief LA
BARGE replied, "Surveillance
officers, when they undertake these types of details, formulate
a plan as to how they would effect the arrests where arrests
need to be made."
As upwards of 30 officers descended on the crime scene early
yesterday, residents of Ascot Crescent described the chaos.
Startled awake by the ruckus, one resident described seeing Constable
PLUNKETT lying on the street.
"I heard a very loud noise and somebody yelling," said a woman
who asked that her name not be published. "He was lying on the
ground and they were trying to get him to breathe."
She said she took a blanket outside to an emergency worker in
hopes that it would be passed on to Constable
PLUNKETT, but it
was too dark for her to tell if it was eventually placed upon
him.
A few doors away, at a home directly across the street from where
he was killed, another homeowner recounted hearing officers yelling,
"Breathing! Breathing!"
Police had followed two cars - both Hondas - from an address
in Toronto to Ascot Crescent, in the Birchmount Road and Steeles
Avenue area. At least one of the vehicles was stolen and police
believe it had been taken to a quiet location to remove its airbag.
The▲ driver was trying to do just that when Constable
PLUNKETT
moved in for the arrest, Chief LA
BARGE said.
The death is the first killing of a police officer in York Region
since 1984, when two officers died in the line of duty within
weeks, and sent shock waves across the force, formed in 1971 and
now serving more than 900,000 people.
"It's an organization where we've not lost many officers, but
even one is one too many," Deputy Chief Bruce
HERRIDGE said.
The theft of airbags and other auto accessories is a long-established
business, said Detective Staff Sergeant Scott
MILLS, who heads
the Ontario Provincial Police auto-theft unit.
"There is a very large grey market for replacement auto components,
airbags being one, along with Global Position System, stereos,
body components - things that can easily be put into high-end
vehicles," he said.
"Body shops buy them. There's a very low profit margin in auto
body repair, so if the owner can buy, say, airbags for a Cadillac
Escalade for $100 on the grey market, then he doesn't have to
go to General Motors and buy them for $400."
As for the thieves, police say they range from drug-hungry addicts
needing a fix, to slick, well-organized criminal gangs.
"And some shops buy them up like candy," another police source
said.
In this instance, detectives believe the suspects specialized
in the theft of airbags, which also get shipped abroad to developing
countries.
Chief LA BARGE suggested Constable
PLUNKETT had no choice but
to act as he did.
"Surveillance officers work in a team environment, but the situations
that they encounter can happen so quickly that there is absolutely
no alternative but for the surveillance officers to make those
arrests," he said.
"And this is the particular situation that we are dealing with
here."
Chief LA BARGE indicated that 43 airbags had been stolen in Markham
since January of this year - most from Honda and Acura model
vehicles - and that this particular investigation had been under
way for two or three weeks.
Nadeem JIWA, 19, has been charged with manslaughter, which usually
describes an act of unintentional homicide. Baseer
YOUSAFZAI,
23, faces charges of breach of bail and possession of stolen
property.
Both men are from Toronto and likely face additional charges,
police said.
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PLUNKETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-03 published
Friends mourn a man who was cheerful, selfless
Constable Rob
PLUNKETT is York Regional Police's first fatality
in the line of duty in more than two decades
By Timothy
APPLEBY and Alan
CAIRNS and Tim
SHUFELT,
Page A8
On the chilly February day nine years ago, when 78-year-old Katherine
TOPPI's car skidded across a frozen lake and then plunged through
the ice close to the retirement home in Markham where she lived,
her prospects could scarcely have been more dire.
Ms. TOPPI had suffered a stroke and lost control of her vehicle,
which now was submerged in a couple of metres of bone-numbing
water.
Fortunately for her, a couple of uniformed guardian angels were
on hand.
One was York Regional Police Constable Brent
LUCKASAVITCH; the
other his partner, Constable Rob
PLUNKETT.
Together the policemen carried an inflatable boat out across
the ice and paddled it out to the stricken car, the windshield
of which Constable
PLUNKETT smashed with his baton. They then
scooped the shivering Ms.
TOPPI to safety.
A cheerful, gregarious father of three and a star athlete who
ran triathlons and excelled at half a dozen other strength-testing
sports, Constable
PLUNKETT won a bravery award for the rescue
and would likely have said it was all in a day's work.
But the volunteer work he did, over and above a 22-year police
career cut short early yesterday morning, set him apart.
And his particular passion was in working with mentally handicapped
athletes.
"He had a tremendous impact; he's been a great inspiration for
everyone who knew him. This is a huge loss," said Deborah
BRIGHT,
president and Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Canada.
"He was just one of these good people you don't meet very often
in your life."
When York Regional Police played host to the Ontario Special
Olympics in 2000, Constable
PLUNKETT chaired the bidding team,
raising close to $1-million for the roughly 800 participants,
drawn from almost 100 countries. Five events took centre stage:
floor hockey, five- and 10-pin bowling, swimming and powerlifting.
As well, he was for many years instrumental in organizing the
annual Law Enforcement Torch Run, since 1987 the favoured charity
of Ontario's police.
"Rob was one of our top fundraisers for more than 15 years,"
Special
Olympics
Ontario president Glen
MacDONELL said.
"He really believed in what the Special Olympics did for people
with intellectual disabilities and he was really engaged in the
community. It was in his nature to be that way and he was well
thought of right around the world. He was recognized locally,
provincially, nationally and internationally because he was one
of the best."
Why did he do it? It was not because he had any vested interest.
None of his three children - two sons aged 16 and 14 and an 18-year-old
daughter - bore any of the handicaps shared by the people whose
cause he championed.
"He didn't do this for any obvious reasons - he was just a great
man, he loved doing things for other people," said Constable
Alan RICHARDSON of the Timmins Police Service, the National Torch
Run co-ordinator.
"He had no connection with the Special Olympics other than that
he was a police officer and that's our charity of choice. He
was just a great family man who loved sports. Everybody he touched
and talked to and got to know held him close to their hearts."
Constable PLUNKETT spent several years with the York Regional
Police tactical squad, one of the more hazardous police duties,
before switching to undercover surveillance work.
"As a police officer you'd think that might be a safer job,"
Constable RICHARDSON said. "But you know, there is no safe job
as a police officer."
In Constable
PLUNKETT's small hometown of Midhurst, just north
of Barrie, residents were reeling yesterday after learning their
neighbour and friend was the fallen policeman they had heard
about in news reports. One family friend broke into tears.
"He was a really lovely man, with a really strong family," she
said, asking not to be named, before running to the
PLUNKETT
home. Constable
PLUNKETT's widow, a school teacher, was "devastated,"
the woman said.
The PLUNKETT family sat on the front porch of their grey-brick
house on what is normally a quiet street. Cars lined the tree-filled
front yard as Friends and family gathered to offer support.
A spokesman for the family said they were too distraught to speak
about their loss. A friend of the
PLUNKETTs' youngest son said
he went over to the family's house after hearing the news.
"He's upset, but it hasn't really sunk in," said 14-year-old
Brian HUGHES. "No one wants to believe it's true."
By every account, the veteran officer was a well-liked, if private,
neighbour.
Roland DEMPSTER, a 30-year community resident, was aware that
Constable PLUNKETT was a policeman but only knew him well enough
to wave from his yard.
Mr. DEMPSTER shook his head at what he said was a senseless crime.
"For an airbag? Does that make any sense to you?" he said. "It's
sad our society's going that way."
The PLUNKETTs' oldest child, Amanda, is preparing to go to university
in the fall, said Kay
RADMAN, a co-worker at the nearby Sears
department store.
"She's a wonderful girl; we just love her," she said of Amanda,
who attended Ms.
RADMAN's 50th birthday party last weekend.
In yesterday's wilting heat, flags at all city facilities in
the City of Vaughan flew at half mast, as they did at Toronto
police stations, to honour the slain officer. They will remain
that way until Constable
PLUNKETT's funeral.
"Our heartfelt sympathies and prayers are with his family," Vaughan
Mayor Linda
JACKSON said in a statement. "The full meaning of
the police motto, 'To serve and protect,' is brought home to
all of us today by today's tragic event."
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PLUNKETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-09 published
Officer remembered as friend, athlete
'Affable manner and his Huron County charm made him a very easy
person to get to know,' Chief says
By Sean Patrick
SULLIVAN, Canadian Press, Page A10
Newmarket -- Thousands of police officers from across Canada
paid tribute yesterday to slain Detective Constable Robert
PLUNKETT,
who was remembered at his funeral service as a dedicated family
man with a personal motto of: "Go big or go home."
Det. Constable
PLUNKETT, 43, a 22-year veteran of York Regional
Police, was killed last week when he was struck by a car while
attempting to make an arrest.
Officers in dress uniform were marshalled on a grass-covered
slope before marching into the complex in this city north of
Toronto, followed by a solemn stream of mourners.
The complex's 3,500 seats were filled, as was an overflow room.
Some 1,500 other mourners - many of them uniformed police officers
- listened to the ceremony from the parking lot in 30-degree
temperatures.
York
Regional
Police Chief Armand LA
BARGE praised Det. Constable
PLUNKETT's athleticism and superb physical conditioning, which
he said set the officer apart from others in his rookie year.
"Rob's affable manner and his Huron County charm made him a very
easy person to get to know, and as a member of our police service,
Rob distinguished himself as a very determined and a very gifted
athlete," Chief LA
BARGE said.
York Inspector Tom
CARRIQUE said Det. Constable
PLUNKETT's colleagues
valued his ability to bring levity to a situation with a practical
joke, often at the expense of an unsuspecting supervisor.
He recalled how "Plunk" and a few accomplices were once caught
carrying a colleague's Austin Mini Cooper across a parking lot
on their way to hiding it in a corn field.
Glenn MacDONNELL, president of Special Olympics Ontario, said
Det. Constable
PLUNKETT's love of sport - and his belief that
policing is more than just law and order - prompted the enthusiastic
officer to throw himself into organizing events for the group,
including acting as chair for the Special Olympic Spring Games
in 2000.
Det. Constable
PLUNKETT received a number of accolades throughout
his career, including one in February, 1998, when he was recognized
for bravery in assisting in rescuing an elderly woman from the
freezing waters of Swan Lake in nearby Markham.
He is survived by his wife Sonja and three children, Amanda,
Matthew and Jeffrey.
The funeral comes one day after a charge against a suspect in
Det. Constable
PLUNKETT's death, Nadeem
JIWA, 19, was upgraded
from manslaughter to first-degree murder. Baseer
YOUSAFZAI, 23,
faces at least four lesser charges. Both suspects appeared in
a Newmarket courtroom yesterday and will return to court later
this month.
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