1947-2023
Joyce (Wahnee Connywerdy) Plumley, longtime resident of Red Rock, passed away on August 22, 2023 at the age of 75. She was born on December 25, 1947 in Lawton, the daughter of Rena Wahnee Connywerdy and Walter Kerchee, Jr.
Joyce felt very blessed to have been raised by her maternal grandparents; Charles and Julia (Monoessy) Wahnee Connywerdy. She loved sharing memories about growing up at the homeplace; like seeing her Grandpa and Uncles butcher a calf to feed the people for a Peyote Meeting, receiving a spanking from her Grandma with a bean pot, and listening to the many stories told by family members sitting around the kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee or enjoying a meal together.
Joyce’s hobbies included working crossword puzzles, watching old western movies, and listening to the sounds of Motown, Adele, and gospel music. She never missed a morning without having a hot cup of coffee. Some of her favorite places to eat were the Olive Garden, the Kumback Cafe in Perry, and Sonic. She enjoyed eating a scoop of black walnut ice cream after a meal. In addition, Joyce was a longtime member of the Otoe Baptist Church, and liked reading the Bible.
Over the years, Joyce and her husband, Ron, enjoyed attending tribal events, dances, and pow wows where they served as head staff on numerous occasions. She looked forward to helping with the Annual Otoe Eloska Christmas Dance alongside her husband and other committee members gathering Santa’s toys and preparing candy sacks for the children and elders. Joyce was a member of The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women (OFIW) and the Otoe War Mothers. She was very proud she was a full blood Comanche Nation tribal member, and liked traveling back home to Lawton to visit with family and friends.
Joyce was married to Ronald Plumley, Sr. until his passing in 2014. Together they shared six children: Cruz Conneywerdy, Oliver Plumley, Charles Eatmon, Ronald Plumley Jr., Denise Plumley DeJesus, and Dennis Plumley.
In 2005, Joyce retired from Frontier School with 20+years of service. Working in the kitchen alongside Shirley Burgess and Barbara Black, they prepared thousands of meals over the years dating back to the “old school” in Red Rock for students, staff, and administrators. Back then, the meals were prepared from scratch. So, they had a reputation of making the best cinnamon rolls, vegetable beef stew, pizza, dinner rolls, and other savory dishes. Sometimes, if students still looked hungry, she would slide them seconds on an occasion.
Joyce is survived by her sons: Cruz & Gina Conneywerdy and Ronald & Carol Plumley, Jr. of Red Rock, Oliver Plumley & Starr Robideau of Norman, Charles & Simone Eatmon of Lawton, Dennis & Wendy Plumley of Salinas, California, and one daughter: Denise & Tito DeJesus of
Lawton; her brothers: James Torralba of Midland, Texas, and Jerry Torralba-McMenamin of Fort Worth, Texas; her sisters: Ramona Valdez of Manteca, California, Marilyn Glover (Woody) of Trinidad, Texas, Rhonda Torralba-Montgomery of Shawnee, Donna & Richard Nimmo of Duncan, Pamela
Torralba-Thornten of Georgia; her uncles: Adrian & Teresa Connywerdy of Lawton; and her aunts: Selma “Nivy” Herrera of Lawton and Carlene "Bouncin'" Connywerdy-Escoto of Borger, Texas; and extended family members.
Joyce was preceded in death by: her husband, Ronald Plumley, Sr.; her parents: Donald and Rena (Wahnee Connywerdy) DuPoint and Walter Kerchee, Jr.; her grandparents: Charles and Julia (Monoessy) Connywerdy Wahnee; brothers: Albert Torralba, Terry Otipoby, Roland “Duke” Torralba, Joseph Earl Dupoint; and sisters: Cecilia “Tiny” Coots and Wilma D. Torralba.
Funeral Home in Charge
