John A. Plusa, Jr.

John A. Plusa, Jr., age 92, of Alexandria, MN, formerly of Woodstock, IL, and Chicago, IL, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at Alomere Health Hospital in Alexandria. 

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at the Lind Family Funeral Home in Alexandria with Fr. Joe Vandeberg presiding. Full military honors accorded by the Minnesota Honor Guard, American Legion Post #87, Veteran of Foreign Wars Post #936, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #235, and the Marine Corps League Detachment #1409.  Interment will be at the Saint John Nepomuk Catholic Church Cemetery.

A visitation will be held from 3-7 p.m., Monday, November 20, 2023, at the Lind Family Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

John Andrew Plusa was born the winter of 1931, in Nowagrodek, Poland, to John and Gienia Plusa (née Czabocko).  John's early life was spent in rural Poland with his three siblings.  At an early age he lost his mother.   Shortly after, Russia invaded Poland and their father was taken from them and later executed.  The family was separated and John and his brother, Ted, were taken to a camp in Siberia. A few years later, by agreement between the Soviet Union, Britain and India, he was able to relocate to a camp in India. John developed a great respect for the people of India who raised him for the next several years, and worked with the clergy to teach him to speak English, American History, how to play the mandolin. They also helped him improve his artistic skills, which he used throughout his life.  At 15, he journeyed to America.  He was able to circumvent the age restriction of 16 with the help of the clergy in India, who manufactured documents to allow his relocation. Once in the US, he entered the seminary in Wisconsin, and later connected with other surviving relatives, including his Aunt, who raised him as her own once in Illinois, two sisters in the US and his brother in England.  He also kept touch with the other orphans that were relocated to the US, forming the PBC (Polish Boys Club). John and the other members held an annual picnic and were frequently joined by members of the clergy from the camp in India.  He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1951.  Serving stateside he was honorably discharged in 1953 after achieving the rank of sergeant.  After that he met his future wife on a blind date, and immediately fell in love with her.  As they parted for the evening, he told her in Polish, “Jesteś dziewczyną, którą zamierzam poślubić” ("You are the girl I’m going to marry"). She asked what that meant, but he just told her he would tell her later.  He wed Mary Triner in the summer of 1955, in Illinois and finally explained to her what he had told her that first date.  The couple settled in Chicago, where they raised three children.  John's professional life was largely spent in the print industry, where he excelled in various leadership roles. He and Mary moved to Woodstock, IL, where he retired and later moved to Alexandria, MN, in 2017. An avid lover of the outdoors, John enjoyed fishing, camping and hunting in his youth and maintained his passion for fishing in Alexandria. He and Mary often bonded over completing numerous puzzles. John's passing is a significant loss to his family, who will greatly miss him.

He is preceded in death by his parents, and brother Ted.

John is survived by his wife, Mary Plusa; children, Mark (Karen) Plusa, John (Christine) Plusa, and Mary McWilliams; sisters, Genevieve (Gienia) Plusa and Wanda Pandolfo;  grandchildren, Paul, Christopher, Aaron, Meagen, Cody, Raven, John, James, and Jayson; great-grandchildren, Elizabeth, Victoria, and Oliver; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.