Betty Pleen

Betty Loyce (Bunch) Pleen, 61, of New Albany, Indiana went home to heaven on March 12, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky.

She was born on January 6, 1955 in Louisville, Kentucky. From an early age Betty knew she wanted to be a teacher. Betty graduated with her master's degree in education from Indiana University Southeast and worked at Head Start through New Hope in Jeffersonville, Indiana, as a special education teacher for a number of years. She then went on to teach 1st grade at Christian Academy of Indiana until her retirement. During that time, students and parents alike treasured her. Her sense of humor and tough love made her many students' and parents' favorite teacher.

She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 35 years, Edward Pleen; her son, Joseph Pleen; daughter, Anna Sanders (Derek); mother, Betty (Self) Bunch; siblings, Aleen Bunch, Ernie Bunch, & Alan Bunch (Linda); 7 grandchildren, Sierra, Emmanuel, Alexander, Zacchaeus, Jazmine, Jasper, and Judah; nephews, Jordan and Alex; and niece, Whitney. Her father, Alva Bunch and her sister, Barbara Bunch, preceded her in death.

Betty also had a passion for helping children and families in need. She and her husband were foster parents, and she taught Sunday school at Graceland Baptist Church for many years.

Visitation and a celebration of her life will be from 3 to 8 PM, Friday, March 18, 2016, at Newcomer Funeral Home (3309 Ballard Lane, New Albany). Funeral Services will be at 1:00 PM on Saturday at the funeral home with burial to follow at Abundant Life Memorial Gardens in New Albany.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to a charity of your choice that helps children. Betty's favorite charities were Compassion International and the Purple Slip Campaign (projecthumanity.com).