Grover Paul Plaschke, 86, of Louisville died Friday, January 29, 2016 after leading an adventurous life filled with laughter and love.
A World War II veteran, doting husband, loving parent and silly Granddaddy, Grover is survived by Mary Margaret, his wife of 63 years, and their four children: Brad (Lana), Bill, Beth (Lorenzo) and Bob (Betsy). He is also survived by grandchildren Tessa, Willie, Mary Clare, James, Andrew, Robert, John, Lorenzo and Arianna.
Born July 22, 1929 in Louisville, he is the grandson of the late nationally renowned political cartoonist Paul Plaschke, son of the late Harvey and Annette, and brother to Harvey and Mimi. He had the courage to join the Army at age 17, and was promptly shipped to Japan, where he loyally served in the military police for two years for returning home to meet the love of his life, a feisty red-head named Mary Margaret McLaughlin. They married on Oct. 25, 1952 and built a rich Louisville life of friendship and family supported by Grover’s work as rotogravure manager at Fawcett Printing and later World Color Press.
Grover was an accomplished painter, and his pen-and-ink drawings of life in rural Kentucky will forever hang throughout the homes of loved ones. He loved to travel anywhere with Mary, enjoying everything from lunch at Wakefield-Scearce gallery in Shelbyville to dinner on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. He and Mary toured California wine country with Brad, attended the World’s Fair in Vancouver with Bill, walked the streets of San Francisco with Beth, and traveled Europe with Bob. In later years, he loved hanging out with the grandchildren, sitting in his chair while they played around his feet, dispensing laughter and wisdom and love. He rooted for Louisville Cardinals long before it was cool and enjoyed political debating long after those debates ended.
A funeral mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at St. Albert the Great Church, 1395 Girard Drive. Visitation will be from 4-8 pm Tuesday at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Road.
The family asks that expressions of sympathy be made to the Mass of the Air, 608 Breckenridge Lane, a wonderful production that allowed Grover to worship in his home and kept him connected to the Catholic Church that he loved.

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