It was always a pleasure ski patrolling with Kort when he was still in high school. He always showed up very early for shifts, and gave excellent care to every patient. I will never forget his kind, caring heart. Sending deepest sympathy to all of Kort’s family and friends.
Kort Miller Plantenberg
March 21, 1991 – December 5, 2019
Memorial services will be held Thursday for Kort Miller Plantenberg, 28, of Avon, who died Dec. 5 in a Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter crash.
The Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, December 12, 2019 at Saint John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, with visitation two hours prior (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) at Saint John’s Abbey Church.
Kort lived a life devoted to service and filled with love for family, friends, animals and nature and a passion for flying. His legacy and life force are indelible.
He is survived by his parents, Steve and Laura Plantenberg of Avon; sister Isabel Plantenberg of Avon; grandmother Theresa Elliott of Savage; girlfriend Bryonna Anderson of Clovis; trusted canine companion Max; and countless friends and coworkers who will always remember his quiet kindness, gentle strength and generous spirit.
Kort Miller Plantenberg was born March 21, 1991 at St. Cloud Hospital. He grew up in Avon and from an early age was obsessed with helicopters and flying, his lifelong dream.
He graduated from Albany Area High School in 2009 and from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2013 with a degree in criminology, then went to work as a correctional officer with the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department.
Kort enjoyed fishing and hunting, served as a lifeguard and on ski patrol, and was a member of the Minnesota biathlon team for the Army National Guard. He tirelessly contributed his time and skills to help friends and neighbors, loved solving problems and met challenges with unbreakable determination.
His sense of service and dreams of flying inspired Kort to enlist in the Minnesota Army National Guard March 1, 2016 as an aircraft electrician. Sgt. Plantenberg served a nine-month deployment with the Guard’s Company C, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion in Kuwait, where the unit provided aerial medical evacuation.
Kort returned from deployment May 11 and was recently hired as a federal technician UH60 mechanic at Army Aviation Support Facility #2 in St. Cloud. He was selected to start the state warrant officer program in March 2020 and then flight school next fall in pursuit of his lifelong passion. His ambition was to work on helicopters during the week and fly them on the weekend.
Guestbook
I would be there if I wasn’t deployed. Man I’m going to miss you. Sucks knowing you won’t be there when I get back. It’s been a tough couple days now knowing that I won’t see you to the end of this lifetime. I’ll always remember the lessons you tought me. Till Valhalla
What a wonderful young man; so fortunate to have been one of his teachers…..heartfelt sympathy..
I really wish I had words to comfort you. I really do… My heart hurts to lose a fellow aviator. But I can’t imagine losing a son, brother, etc. Know that you all are in my prayers.
My deepest heartfelt sympathy to you Steve & Laura. Your son Kort had to be the finest aviator in the U.S. Air National Guard. May Gods peace be with you in this time of great loss. Peter Bugbee
you and I shared so many thoughts when we’d meet at my dock , exchanged baits , talked fire rescue from choppers, talked of comin to Florida , spend time with me on Lake Okachobee, just so many outstand ing qualities that you were blessed to posses, Always proud of ya,,,r
I can still see Kort and his dad Steve coming through the back door at True Value in Avon. He was such a polite young man. I remember him in scouts with my son and in grade school also, a sorta shy child but always gave you a smile. My heart goes out to his family and friends. May the memories you share bring you some comfort at this time. God bless you. Kay Dingman
I didn’t know Kort. His Grandfather Art Plantenberg and my Grandmother Irene (Plantenberg) Pfannenstein were siblings. My mother, Donna Mae Pfannenstein and Kort’s dad, Steve, were first cousins. I just want to show my support as a fellow veteran of the family. I honor his service to the state and our nation. God Bless you Kort. May you rest in peace. My prayers to his family in this time of grief.
Kort was a great guy, the minute we met he was so friendly and kind and his smile would light up the room. We would talk about fishing and hunting when we would cross paths at work. He was always busy at work, but he always would say Hi no matter what. I will miss him so much. R.I.P. my friend
Services
Visitation
St. John the Baptist Abbey ChurchServices
St. John the Baptist Abbey ChurchSchedule Details
Memorial services will be held Thursday for Kort Miller Plantenberg, 28, of Avon, who died Dec. 5 in a Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter crash.
The Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, December 12, 2019 at Saint John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, with visitation two hours prior (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) at Saint John’s Abbey Church.