Portrait of Mell Plunk. IMB Photo

Mell Ren Plunk, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in South America, died April 1, 2024. He was 86.

Mell was born Nov. 12, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, to Melvin Henson Plunk and Bertha Lee (Taylor) Plunk. He graduated from W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, and received the Bachelor of Arts from University of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Bachelor of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.

He married Sue Briggs on Aug. 29, 1958.

In 1963, the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) appointed Mell and Sue missionaries to Jamacia They served for 38 years in Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica and Argentina.

His obituary said, “He is remembered by most as a driven and integrous man in pursuit of his personal and professional goals and a faithful and obedient man in pursuit of knowing the Lord and doing His will.”

His family also wrote in his obituary: “Mell was marked by a love for God’s Word and a deep conviction to live purposefully wherever he was. Into his final days he was sharing the gospel with the hospital staff and carried a hope and anticipation for his true Home. He loved his wife and family with unwavering loyalty, paved a way for many to know and experience God, and left a legacy of authentic faith for us all to stand on.”

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Sue Plunk; three sons, Jamey Plunk (Miriam), Dan Reed Plunk, and David Plunk (Sheila); six grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren.

A funeral service was April 12, at First Baptist Church of Belton, Texas.

Read an obituary here.