C. Buford Plemmons

C. Buford Plemmons was born November 29, 1922 in Comanche County, Oklahoma to Lucile Edwards and David Plemmons. He left us on March 25, 2013. Buford was fond of telling stories like riding a 'ginny' mule to his one-room, Rock Creek Elementary School, and later Central High School. In 1939, with $5 in his pocket, he left for Ada Oklahoma, to live with his grandmother and attend East Central University ECU. In early 1943 he joined the Navy, and attended Midshipman's school at Northwestern University in Chicago, graduating as an Ensign. On May 15, 1944, while home on leave, he married his childhood sweetheart, Loretha Lori Stacy near Lawton, Oklahoma before shipping out as Executive Officer on LST 1032 headed for the Pacific theater. His LST was part of the landing force at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Buford was later active in the Colorado National Guard. After the war he completed his education at Oklahoma State and earned an MA in Education from Colorado Teachers College now UNC in Greeley, and did post-graduate work at Columbia and CSU. In 1966 he became the Director of Federal Programs for Poudre School District and led one of the earliest Head Start Programs in the state. He was active in the First United Methodist Church, in Kiwanis, serving as Poudre Golden K Club President and District Governor. In 1996 Buford was recognized with the Community Builder of the Year award by the Fort Collins Service Clubs. He is credited, along with Bob Everett, with leading the effort to establish the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado. Buford loved golf, fishing and woodworking and built a family cabin in Gould, Colorado. He is honored and loved by his family, including his daughter Rita Bee, son and daughter-in-law Stacy and Nancy Plemmons, all of Fort Collins, and son and daughter-in-law Kerry and Gail Plemmons of Denver, plus grandchildren Beth Bee and partner Mark Perhacs, Kelli Bee, Laura Rickhoff, Kris Plemmons, Ryan Plemmons, and his sister, Maurita Woods and sister-in-law Imogene Taliferro. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Fort Collins First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the First United Methodist Church, the Kiwanis Poudre Golden K Club, or the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive St., Fort Collins, CO 80524.

Tributes

C. Buford Plemmons

November 29, 1922 - August 7, 2013