Robert William Plaskett

Robert William Plaskett, 85, of Noblesville, IN, passed away on July 14, 2021. He was born on January 2, 1936, in Akron, OH, to the late Elden Martin Plaskett and Ida Mary Gothard Plaskett.

Robert grew up in Jackson, Michigan with his brother Walt, three years his senior.  Robert, or Bob as he was known to all, attended elementary school in a one room schoolhouse.  He was an industrious boy – running a paper route, caddying, and selling soft drinks to golfers to earn money.  After high school he attended college at the University of Michigan.  There he served as the house manager of his Delta Upsilon fraternity and earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering.

Shortly after graduation Bob married Margaret Johnson of Waterford, MI.  Margaret was a registered nurse in training at the Henry Ford School of Nursing at Dearborn, MI.  They moved to Jackson, MS where he worked as an industrial engineer at a Vickers valve manufacturing plant.  After a few years they returned to Michigan where Bob worked for AC Spark Plug in Flint.  In their first decade of marriage, they added three children, John, Ann, and Joe, to their family.  During that time, Bob also attended night school to earn master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering and Business Administration.

Bob rose to become the Manager of Manufacturing at Diamond Chain Co. in Indianapolis, IN.  They lived in Carmel, IN, and by that time they had added their fourth child, Nancy, to the family.  In 1984 they moved to Kenosha, WI where Bob became the President of MacWhyte Wire Rope Company, responsible for factories in Kenosha and Sedalia, MO.  While there, his duties included visits to wire rope customers throughout the world.  He often brought Margaret along on his international trips.  Robert retired from MacWhyte in 1997.  In retirement he fulfilled Margaret’s dream to travel the world, having visited 38 countries by the end of their lives.

Bob was a great husband and dad.  He was present at his kid’s innumerable sporting events and dance recitals, where he was the chief home movie cameraman.  He helped coach his son Joe’s baseball teams and was an active volunteer with youth hockey and football organizations.  He   supported Nancy at many gymnastic meets all the way through college at George Washington University.  He organized great family vacations every summer, including two cross country trips to California, a trip to the Olympics in Montreal, trips to Mexico and the Virgin Islands, and a Disney Cruise for all his children and grandchildren.  He created wonderful family memories.

Bob was active in community life.  He was a member of Second Presbyterian Church.  He was Board President of the Diamond Chain Credit Union, Board President of the Kenosha County United Way, and Board Vice-President of the Kenosha Manufacturers and Employers Association.  He was a board member of the Kenosha Youth Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America Southeast Wisconsin Council.  He was also a volunteer consultant with the Executive Service Corps of Indiana where he provided business guidance to small businesses and non-profits.

Bob was a life-long golfer.  He played on his high school golf team and later in life he accomplished his goal of playing golf in all 50 states.  Locally, he was a member of Harbor Trees Golf Club and also a long-time patron of the Brookshire Golf Course.  He cherished the friendships he had with his golf buddies.  He especially enjoyed sharing a game with his family members, such as his brother, wife, and kids.

Bob was a great example and mentor to family members and friends.  He was soft spoken but strong in character.  He instilled strong values in his children, who all went on to have successful careers of their own.  He was a true giver with endless love for his wife, kids, and grandkids.

Robert is survived by his children, John (Michelle) Plaskett, Ann (Gary) Eld, Joe (Sheri) Plaskett, and Nancy (Mark Yurcheshen) Plaskett; brother, Walter (Michelle Davis) Plaskett; and grandchildren: Shane, Sydney, Lauren, Kyle, Katherine, Grace, and Emily; and many nieces and nephews.  Robert is preceded in death by his wife Margaret, who passed only six weeks prior to Robert’s death.

The Celebration of Life for Bob will be on Friday, August 6th from 3-6 pm at Brookshire Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana. Robert’s final resting place will be at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Holt International Children’s Services.