James D. Plunkett, 80, Harvey, formerly of rural Bowdon, passed away Monday, December 2, 2013 at the St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck. His funeral will be held Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the Trinity Bethany Lutheran Church in Harvey with burial in the Heaton Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church. Arrangements with Nelson Funeral Home of Fessenden.

James D. Plunkett, son of Herbert and Vera (Jones) Plunkett, was born November 9, 1933 on his parents farm near Heaton, ND. At an early age, he moved with his family to a farm near Bowdon where he was raised. He was a member of the last graduating class of the Heaton High School.

As a young man, James began farming with his father and later took over the family farm. On June 11, 1957 he was married to Barbara Ann Legacie at Lawton, ND. They made their home on the Plunkett farm near Bowdon where he continued to farm until retiring in the late 1980s. He worked for area farmers for a few years before moving to Harvey in 1991. James then enrolled in a truck operation course at Bismarck State University. Upon completing the course he worked as a truck driver for several companies in the western North Dakota oil patch including, Koch Co., Western Gear and Power Fuels. He also worked for Missouri Basin for a time before accepting a truck driving job with Harvey Sand and Gravel where he worked for several years.

He was a member of the Trinity Bethany Lutheran Church of Harvey.

James is survived by 4 daughters, Penny Pasillas of Harvey, Lola (Walter) Metcalf of Martin, Ruth (Don) Hecker of Belfield and Audrey Garcia of Fessenden; 2 sons, Herbert (Donna) Plunkett of Belfield and Dean Plunkett of Horace; 6 grandchildren; and one sister, Donna Poach of Pelican Rapids, MN.

He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; one sister, Audrey; and two brother, Charles and infant brother Donald.