Former Boy Scout Troop 621 leader G. Jerry Plotke dies
IN 1980, Jerry Plotke on one of his many European tours with Troop 621.
Gunther Jerry Plotke, who guided local boy scouts for 30 years, has died. A Larchmont Blvd. resident, he was 90.
Plotke was born in Berlin and was a plumber’s apprentice until, as a Jew, he fled Germany during World War II at age 17. He escaped via a route through Russia and Siberia to Japan and by ship to Canada. He joined his family in Los Angeles, who had left before him, in 1941.
Two years later, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and found himself back in Germany, where he served in major battles under Gen. George Patton. After the war, he opened G. Jerry Plotke Plumbing and Contracting on Larchmont Blvd. adjacent to his home.
He was scoutmaster of Troop 621 and oversaw a record number of Eagle Scouts including his three sons. He served in many scout leadership roles. Each year the troop biked to various destinations and every five years he led the trips through Europe.
Plotke also served as president of Larchmont Boulevard Association, the Toastmasters Club and the Larchmont Kiwanis Club as lieutenant governor. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margaret; sons Robert, Leonard and Rick, and daughter Linda Kelemen, 22 grandchildren and 16 greatgrandchildren.
Category: People
