Barbara Plambeck, beloved wife, mother

Barbara Plambeck went to be with our Lord Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, surrounded by her family, after a valiant battle with several chronic health issues. Barbara was born in Philadelphia, Pa., to George Francis Muhly and Ruth Eleanor (Peltz) Muhly March 31, 1941. She and her family moved to Mt. Prospect, Ill., in 1956, and she entered Arlington High School, and participated in the art club, treble clef chorus, and the social science club. She also met, dated, and went steady with her future husband, Richard (Dick) Plambeck. After high school graduation, Barbara attended Burnham School of Cosmetology and obtained her state certification.

 

Barbara worked for the Glemby Company for a few years, before opening her own beauty salon in the family home, so she could help care for her mother, after her cancer diagnosis. Barbara and Dick were married Aug. 24, 1963, and set up their first home in Champaign–Urbana, where Barbara worked in a beauty salon to help meet expenses while Dick completed his master’s degree at University of Illinois.

 

They moved to Morristown, N.J., when Dick took a job at Esso Research and Engineering after graduation in 1964. Their daughter, Wendi Jeanne, was born there Thanksgiving Day 1965. In 1967, they purchased their first house in Parsippany, N.J.

 

In 1969, the family moved to Aruba, NA, when Dick was assigned to oversee a major port and refinery construction project. Their son, Christopher Alan, was born there Aug. 28, 1969, at the old Lago Hospital in Seroe Colorado. Barbara hired a local police officer to teach her the unique local driving regulations, and she obtained her three-page Aruba driver’s license. She hired and fired two maids that couldn’t meet her standards, and finally found Louise Hazel, whom she and the kids adored, and the family visited her on later trips to the island.

 

When they returned to New Jersey in 1971, they moved to Chatham Borough, and Dick was assigned to a quality assurance position that required frequent traveling to several different countries reviewing contractors’ designs. Barbara managed the household in his absence, even coordinating replacing the brakes on the car and installation of a new roof.

 

In 1978, they moved to Kingwood, Texas, when Dick was assigned as engineering supervisor for a major gas pipeline network. While in Texas, Barbara took up decorative painting and continued that for many years. 

 

After returning to New Jersey in 1980, Barbara became very active in the Chatham United Methodist Church, accepting positions as lay leader and vice president of the couples’ club. She joined the local chapter of P.E.O., a national Philanthropic Educational Organization, and held various leadership positions over the next 30 years. When the kids were old enough, Barbara sometimes joined Dick on short-term business trips, recruiting engineers at University of Illinois or teaching engineering courses in Venezuela.

 

Barbara always enjoyed a full house, and over the years, her sister, two nieces, a nephew and granddaughter lived with them for extended periods. She started to do scrapbooking when her arthritis affected her painting brush strokes.

 

After Dick retired in 2000, he and Barbara did a lot more traveling with family and friends, including Europe, Africa, Australia, North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. They also took their four granddaughters on special trips to Alaska, Aruba, and many western U.S. National Parks. 

 

When they moved to Millsboro in 2015, it was an opportunity to design their first new house, having remodeled previous homes. Barbara changed her artwork focus again to concentrate on bespoke greeting cards, which were collected and saved by family and friends.

 

Barbara was predeceased by her parents, and younger sister, Joyce Gleason (Rev. David). She will be greatly missed for her outgoing personality and service to others by her husband, Richard; daughter, Wendi; son, Christopher (Michelle); her granddaughters, Emily, Natalie, Fiona and Elizabeth; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

 

She greatly appreciated the staff at Beebe Healthcare and ExcelCare in Lewes for their skilled and compassionate care during her final weeks.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 20, at Bethel United Methodist Church, Lewes, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. The service will be livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel.  

 

In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation to the Memorial Fund of Bethel United Methodist Church, 129 W. 4th St., Lewes, DE 19958.

 

Visit Barbara's Life Memorial webpage at parsellfuneralhomes.com.