Postmaster volunteered as firefighter and EMT

5/26/2006

BLOOMDALE, Ohio - Robert Charles Plassman, a retired longtime postmaster here who volunteered as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician, died of cancer on Tuesday in the Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center, Findlay. He was 86.

Mr. Plassman was the Bloomdale postmaster for 24 years until he retired in 1986. He was a member of the Bloomdale Volunteer Fire Department from 1967 until 1991.

"He gave a lot back to his community, whether it was at the post office or at the fire department," his daughter Andrea Plassman said.

"He was a man of integrity and high moral values. He was well-loved for his sense of humor. [And] he was a wonderful storyteller."

Before his career as the postmaster, Mr. Plassman was a machine operator at the former Electric Autolite Co. spark plug factory in Fostoria from 1945 until 1962.

A native of Napoleon, Mr. Plassman graduated from Bloomdale High School in 1938 and soon became a laborer for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad out of Bloomdale, working until 1941 when he enlisted in the Army.

During World War II, Mr. Plassman served in the Army's 37th Division, 148th Infantry, Company F, largely on the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific until 1945, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of second lieutenant.

He was a recipient of a Silver Star and a Bronze Star with an oak leaf cluster.

In 1944, Mr. Plassman married Ellen Ruth Easley in Bloomdale, where he lived ever since. She died in 2005.

In his free time, Mr. Plassman enjoyed sign-painting and doing still-life sketches.

His 1988 pencil sketch collage of Bloomdale landmarks was sold at the Bloomdale centennial celebration, with proceeds donated to the city's centennial fund.

Mr. Plassman was a member of Union United Methodist Church in Fostoria and North Baltimore American Legion Post 539.

Surviving are his daughters, Linda Kirkland, Kris Hilgendorf, Robyn Shanahan, and Andrea Plassman; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Services will begin at 10:30 a.m. today in the Smith-Crates Funeral Home, North Baltimore.

The family suggests tributes to the Bloomdale Volunteer Fire Department.