Rustan Terrence Plant

Rus Plant, age 51 of Meridian, ID, passed away on September 20, 2017 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Meridian, ID. He succumbed to complications associated with a valiant 2-year battle against an aggressive form of cancer.

Born December, 28, 1965 in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada to Edward Plant and Donna Nicholson Plant. He had one brother Rod Plant also born in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada. He moved to Boise, ID at six months old and to Meridian, ID and “the farm” at nine years old growing up raising cows and hay and learning the value of hard work from his dad.

Rus graduated from Meridian Senior High School in 1984. He competed in football and track, then served as an infantryman in the United States Army from July 1984 until July 1986.

After leaving the armed forces, he started his career working for Jeff and Rhonda Benson of Benson’s Landscaping in Meridian, ID. Rus valued this time as five of the best years of his life being a part of the Benson’s family owned business.

In 1990 Rus met Debbie Thorngren and they started dating, they were later married on August 24, 1996 and built a home together in Meridian ID. They had two children, Garrett in May 1997 and Carson in January 1999 and shared a life together for 17 years until they divorced in 2014.

Not one to be idle for long, he enjoyed with his family a diverse outdoor lifestyle including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, photography and most any enterprise that involved the wide-open skies. He also loved to cook and had a short triathlon career that introduced him to great friends and great memories.

Rus was actively involved in coaching his sons football and lacrosse teams up until they began high school. The opportunity to share his life lessons, teach them to hunt and fish, share in their accomplishments in sports, and watch them grow into the successful young men they are were his greatest source of pride and some of the very best moments of his life.

In 1991, Rus joined Intermountain Gas Company as a field laborer in construction. Over the next several years he worked his way up through positions of equipment operator, engineering tech and inspector. In 2005 he became the manager of Gas Measurement and in 2015 he assumed the role of Manager, Standards and Compliance.

He continued his education while working full-time at Intermountain Gas Company and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Bellevue University, Omaha, Nebraska in June 2009. Followed by a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership & Management from Colorado State University, Greenwood Village, Colorado in October 2013.

In 2014, he met Jeannie Zingg and continued to share his life with her and her daughter, Tatum until his death. Rus learned to golf and it became an activity they regularly enjoyed with friends and family. Together they shared many adventures and special moments running, walking, hiking, biking, and traveling.

Recent travels took him on an adventure to New York to visit his son Garrett in his third year at the United States Military Academy at West Point and to Florida to help his son Carson prepare for his first year at Florida Southern College.

He is survived by sons Garrett and Carson Plant, mother Donna Plant, brother Rod Plant, his girlfriend Jeannie Zingg and her daughter Tatum, former spouse and mother of his sons Debbie Plant and her parents Aldon and Karen Thorngren, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, and a long list of lifetime good friends and valued associates.

He was preceded by his father Ed Plant, uncles Wally Plant and Terry Plant, and aunts Pat Plant Conklin and Elsa Nicholson Kvasnicka, and a few nieces, nephews and cousins.

Known for his sharp wit, he could tell a story with the best of them and keep his audience’s attention to the end with a mix of abundant humor, subtle exaggeration and self-humiliation, and the occasional zinger towards characters of the yarn being told that might be nearby in light-hearted good fun.

In lieu of flowers, please consider  a donation to either Pheasants Forever (www.pheasantsforever.org) or a charity of your choice.

A Memorial and Celebration of Life will be held on September 27th at the Basque Center, 601 Grove Street, Boise, ID. 83702 (www.basquecenter.com). Doors open at 5 pm, Memorial and Celebration of Life event begins at 5:30 pm with light refreshments. Some street parking may be available, additional parking is available in nearby parking garages on Main Street and Capital Blvd. In keeping with Rus' wishes, this will be a casual event, please leave your suit and tie at home.