Mary Nell Plane

Mary Nell (Minto) Plane, 89, of Carmel, Indiana passed away peacefully during the early morning hours of January 27, 2023. Mary Nell was born in Cannelton, Indiana on October 27, 1933 to John James and Mary Olive (Suddarth) Minto. As a child she loved to roll down the hill behind their house with her older sister Jacqueline, play in her parents’ general store, practice the piano, and fish with her Daddy. One of her great joys in life was helping to raise her baby brother Johnny, who was born when she was eleven years old. She loved candy and the only thing sweeter than her sweet tooth was her personality and, despite all of that sugar, she had a big, bright smile everyone loved.

She met her husband, Bill Plane, during her first year at Evansville College. After their first meeting, she told her friends, “Hands off. He’s mine.” They were married a year before she graduated and later moved to Bloomington, Indiana, where Bill attended law school. To support them, Mary Nell managed renters in their home. They had four children, Valerie, Mark, Lisa, and Jim. Bill passed away in 1977 at the age of 45. Following his death, she went back to school to study accounting at IUPUI, passed the Certified Public Accountant Exam, and worked at American Fletcher National Bank in downtown Indianapolis until she retired.

She always supported her children and grandchildren in all they did – attending their performances and cheering them on. She made all of them feel special, loved, and protected from the world while she was around. She was a Girl Scout leader, Methodist Youth Fellowship leader, and an extremely competitive card player. Actually, she was competitive in whatever she did. She made her home a welcoming place for everyone, and punctuated her joy with an infectious laugh and smile she shared freely. Many of her children's friends considered her a second mom. Some even called her “Mom.”

Her love of music endured throughout her life. She began playing piano as a child and never stopped. In high school she played trumpet and led the marching band as the drum major. She attended Evansville College and graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Music Education with piano as her principal instrument. She taught piano lessons in her home for 12 years, and was proud to have paid for Valerie’s first year of college with the money earned. After retiring from the bank, she wanted to join a concert band and discovered the New Horizons Band of Indianapolis, where senior adults learn, practice and play concert music. However, the band didn’t need any trumpet or piano players, but it did need flutes. So Mary Nell picked up one of her daughters’ flutes and learned to play at the age of 67. She thoroughly enjoyed making music for more than 20 years with her friends in the New Horizons Band.

Surviving her are brother John A. Minto (Beverly) of Tobinsport, Indiana; daughters Valerie Plane (Rick Pinyerd) and Lisa (Plane) Stoffregen (Phillip), son James Plane (Chris Haedtke), all of Indianapolis; and Mark Plane (Erin Crawley) of Madison, Wisconsin; 9 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. She was loved by her many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents, her sister Jacqueline (Minto) Iversen, and her husband William E. Plane.

The family requests any memorial donations be made to either: The New Horizons Band care of Paige’s Music, 5282 East 65th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46220 or The Alzheimer's Association Greater Indiana Chapter at alz.org/indiana.

A visitation for Mary Nell will be held Saturday, February 11, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Leppert Mortuary – Nora, 740 East 86th St, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240, followed by a celebration of life at 11:30 AM and a luncheon open to all at 12:30 PM.