Lucille Marie Plotnick (nee Rotanelli)

January 27, 1937 - September 1, 2022

Lucille Marie (Rotanelli) Plotnick, 85, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2022, at her home in Mentor, Ohio. The daughter of Dominic and Margaret Rotanelli, “Lou” was born on January 27, 1937, in Pelham, New York. She attended the University of Vermont, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and met her future husband, Mark. The two wed on December 28, 1958, and enjoyed nearly 50 years of marriage until his death in 2006.

Lou taught at elementary schools in Connecticut and Massachusetts before choosing to be a full-time mom to her two children: Kristi and Mike. She later served as a substitute teacher in Ohio.

An avid reader and bridge player, Lou’s hobbies also included knitting, cross-stitch and needlepoint. For years, she knit customized Christmas stockings for family members, friends, and friends of friends. She also enjoyed knitting mittens, scarves and blankets for the non-profit organization Warm Up America. And as a volunteer for the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program, she served as a home hostess and chaperone for several Miss Ohio contestants, including 1988 Miss America Kaye Lani Rae Rafko. 

Lou was a loving wife, mother and friend who will always be remembered for her kindness, generosity, independent spirit and sharp sense of humor.

She is survived by one sister, Margaret Daronco, of Westchester County, New York; two kids, Kristi (Jay) Harper, of Mentor, Ohio; and Mike Plotnick, of St. Louis; two grandchildren, Kevin (Kristin) Harper, of Highland Heights, Ohio; and Allison (Jake) Hoopingarner, of Mentor; and three great-grandchildren: Quinn Harper, Kennedy Harper and Aaron Hoopingarner.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.