Letty A. Plourd

A memorial service will be held for Letty Plourd, wife, mother, salesperson, fashion model, and long-time Westlake resident, on Monday, January 27, at 10:00 AM, at the Pierce Bros. Mortuary, at 5600 Lindero Cyn Road, in Westlake Village. A reception will follow at a local eatery… Letty loved to eat … and to cook for her family (enough for a small army).

We, and this world, will sorely miss her multifaceted talents, joys, and aspirations.

Daughter of Nicholas and Ella Mae Arpaia, Letty was born, on March 6, 1930, in New Haven, Connecticut. She attended the University of Connecticut where she majored in business. She married Rick Plourd on April 19, 1955 in Madison, Connecticut. Son, David, was born to them in October, 1956. Through Rick’s engineering career, the family of three moved from New Haven to several other U.S. cities, including Baltimore, Maryland, Denver, Colorado, Santa Maria, California, and then finally settled into their current home in Westlake Village, where they have lived since 1971. In 1990, Rick retired from Bunker Ramo, capping his 40 year career as an electrical engineer. More recently, his full time commitment has been caring for Letty.

Outside her family, Letty has touched many lives, in Westlake Village, with her beaming smile and effervescent personality. She famously touched the lives of many people during her daily 5-mile walks around the lake. You couldn’t pass within 20 yards without her flashing you her dynamite smile and a personal greeting as if you were her long-lost best friend. In recent years, many Westlaker’s would recognize Letty shopping or sitting at a local restaurant, and come up to her to tell her how they remembered her since their childhood. One high-schooler, in the 1990’s, chose Letty, as the subject of his high school English project, about a person who had deeply touched his life during his adolescent years. Also, in a position of high-visibility within the community, as a salesperson at a women’s fashion retailer, she likely bought more merchandise than she sold… and modeled it quite nicely for other customers.

She was a proud UCLA mom as her son, David, attended medical school there. She supported the University in her special personal way -- by making tuna and cheese sandwiches for Rick and David as the father-son duo attended UCLA football games together.

When, in 1998, her son married Joni McMaster, a Navy nurse, Letty adopted her like a daughter… in fact, like the daughter she never had.

While her muscle strength and bone density may have waned over the past several years, her smile and determination never did. It was up to but a year ago that she insisted that Dad drive her to gym, every day, so that she could exercise on the stationary bicycle. She wouldn’t get off that bike until the odometer had reached 2 miles. In her final months, Letty remained in her home, as per her strong wishes, with 24-7 care by Rick and by healthcare-givers.

It was with reluctance, and maybe some denial, that he called David and Joni, last week, to come visit Letty, as soon as they could. And, thanks to that loving call, we can know that Letty passed, comfortably and peacefully, seeing and knowing that she was surrounded by the loving warmth of her husband, son, and daughter-in-law.