David's Obituary
David John Plovanic of Great Falls, Montana passed away at home on Friday, January 5, 2024, at the age of 81.
David was born on May 8, 1942, in Lewistown, MT to Raymond and Angela Plovanic. David loved growing up on the outskirts of Lewistown where he and his brothers could fish, hunt, and run wild. He graduated from St. Leo’s Catholic School in 1961 and soon after joined the Montana Army National Guard. He attended basic training in Fort Knox, KY and then returned to Lewistown. He started working for Boeing in Central Montana helping with the installation of missile silos. On the weekends, he would head over to Helena for his MANG duty. His job was to drive the commander around the hills of East Helena and then into town for beer runs. After David was Honorably discharged from the Montana Army National Guard, he moved to Great Falls to attend the College of Great Falls as an English major. In the spring of 1965, while sitting on the porch of his house, he saw this car drive up on the sidewalk because the driver and passenger were too busy checking him out. Within minutes, he was on the phone with his neighbor, who just happened to be the passenger in the car, Suzanne Ferda, and asked her out on a date. Suzanne and David were married on September 30, 1967. David left college and began working at Metropolitan Life Insurance. In March 1971, David and Suzanne started their family when Michael was born. It was at work that a good friend recommended him for a job with a pharmaceutical company, Warner Lambert, in 1972. David loved his job with Warner Lambert. He traveled the state of Montana and met life-long friends both with his travels around Montana and with the men and women within the company. In February 1975, David and Suzanne’s family continued to grow with the birth of their daughter, Melissa. David retired from Warner Lambert (now known as Pfizer) in 1997 after 25 wonderful years with the company. He maintained very close relationships with his company pals until his death.
David and Suzanne loved to travel, taking many cruises with dear friends. David was given the nickname Cruise Director or CD (a name that he was quite proud of)! In August 2008, David and Suzanne’s travel plans changed drastically as their first grandson, Connor John was born in Gilbert, AZ. Every chance they could, they would travel to Arizona as they both did not want to miss out on anything. In June 2012, granddaughter Lucia Catherine was born, and then in April 2015, Jaxson Leo was born. David was so proud to be their Papa, and he would tell anyone that would listen about them. One of David’s happiest days was in June 2015 when the grandkids moved from Arizona to Great Falls. Over the years, he found himself being the self-proclaimed “Manny” (the Man Nanny) to grandson Jax, as well as picking kids up from school, taking them to events, and just being there for them whenever they needed him. For the past couple of summers, David, his family, and his extended family spent the most wonderful week at Flathead Lake. He so enjoyed zip lining outside of Glacier National Park, watching the grandkids play in the lake, and especially enjoyed the pontoon rides around Flathead. His last trip to Flathead in July 2023 was something that David talked about until his final days, especially the care he received from his “personal nurse” and granddaughter, Lucia.
David was an avid sports fan, something that he has passed on to his grandchildren. He loved cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tiger Woods, Great Falls High Bison, and the Montana State Bobcats. Prior to David getting ill, he was able to go on a once in a lifetime trip with his daughter, Melissa and grandson, Connor to Frisco, Texas to cheer on the MSU Bobcats in the FCS National Championship Game. Although it was not the end result that they wanted, it will be the memories that will last forever. This last fall, as David’s illness progressed, he wanted so badly to go and watch the Bobcats and Connor play football for the Mighty Bison. We are all so thankful for televised sports events, especially the live streaming of Bison football, because he did not miss a minute of all the action!
David was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Angela Plovanic; sister, Mariana Plovanic; brothers, Raymond Plovanic and Robert Plovanic; and in-laws, John and Catherine (Kay) Ferda.
David is survived by his wife of 56 years, Suzanne Plovanic; daughter, Melissa (Michael) Hallahan; three grandchildren, Connor, Lucia, and Jaxson Hallahan; son, Michael (Mary Lou) Plovanic; his sisters, Suzie (Ben) Tuss and Katie (Tom) Mahoney; brothers, Michael Plovanic, James Plovanic, and Thomas (Kathleen) Plovanic; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and special friends that David considered his family.
A celebration of life will be held in the summer.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Holy Spirit Catholic School in David’s name (2820 Central Avenue, Great Falls, Montana 59401). David was a huge supporter of HSCS, and we know that he would be so honored to have donations sent to the school to support their greatest needs.
