Louise M Pflum

Louise M. (Rohr) Pflum, 97 born December 10, 1923 in Hargarten Falck, France died June 30, 2021, at Vancrest of Van Wert. Her husband, Robert Pflum preceded her in death on April 14, 2015, they were married for 69 years.

The daughter of Paul and Madeleine Rohr, she had two brothers and two sisters who all preceded her in death.

Surviving are her beloved children:  Michelle (Tony) Brincefield of Van Wert, Jeff (Pamela) Pflum of Homosassa, Florida and Nanette (Dave) Taylor of Powell, Ohio; seven grandchildren, Stacy Meredith (deceased), Nicole Lynch, Mark Taylor, Bobby Pflum, Ben Pflum, Adam Brincefield, and Abbie Brincefield; and twelve great grandchildren.

Louise was a seamstress by trade and had to work as a teenager to support the family due to her father being killed during World War II.  She used her seamstress skills to make her wedding dress out of Robert’s Army issue wool blanket after dying it purple. 

Louise’s home was near the German boarder which was overrun many times during the war which caused her family to load up on trains quickly and leave for Southern France to go into hiding in caves. During one of the evacuations Louise dropped her bag of limited belongings and she could not retrieve it and lived with the same clothing for months to avoid German Forces. Louise had a few shared stories of her childhood and early adult years living through the war. One of her younger brothers hid out in the forest for many months living off the land and few rations left by the family. Another brother who was captured and forced into labor concentration camps. She knew of French resistance fighters against the Germans in her town and would notice they would disappear overnight to never to be seen again. At age 20, Louise became a railroad telegraph operator and would take small lunch breaks with what small staples she could find. During these lunch breaks she would give her lunch to young women in railroad cars sided at her rail station. At the time she had no knowledge of what their future would be.

It was while working at the railroad that she met her future husband, Robert. Robert was in charge of US Army troop withdrawal from Germany and France. His way of communication down the line on the railroad was to use the telegraph. He met Louise and the rest is love and history.

Louise learned English by listening to the radio - a Cincinnati station that carried The Ruth Lyons Show.  Her proper usage of words got her in trouble several times as she learned English. She was an accomplished bowler, received many awards, a great cook, and made the best ever homemade coffee cakes, which she made up to weeks prior to her passing. She was an immaculate housekeeper with everything spotless at all the times. She was instructing days after admission to assisted care on cleaning instructions at her home. Louise made the best frozen lime Daiquiris that she shared with her grandchildren when they were of age. There was never a hair out of place on her head. She loved her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren and would brag on them every chance she had.  She worked at Aeroquip for many years and raised their family along with Robert. 

Louise lived a simple life with the few things she had, the same as what she grew up with.  She will be sorely missed while reminiscing the beautiful the fun times and some of the challenging.  She asked for her makeup, lipstick and special perfume in her final days to go meet Robert.   She was truly one of the LAST “GREATEST GENERATION”. 

Louise was also a member of the Saint Mary Assumption Church.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July6, 2021, at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church with Father Charles Obinwa officiating. Interment will follow at Van Wert Woodland Cemetery.

Preferred memorials are to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or St. Marys Church.

Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded at cowanfuneralhome.com, Tribute Wall.

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