10 Mar 2024 A lifetime of loving life

By Carol Rolf

Janie Ploszay of North Little Rock and her friend, the late Connie Trent of Conway, were Loving LIFE in the 501 for many years before Trent’s death in January. They documented their love of life and travel several times by submitting photos to 501 LIFE Magazine.

“We traveled to Alaska twice and to Nova Scotia,” Ploszay said. “We took a couple of cruises with ‘Larry’s Country Diner,’ which was a TV program that sponsored cruises featuring country music artists.

“We met in college back in the ’60s and became friends right away … we just clicked,” Ploszay said. They attended State College of Arkansas, now known as the University of Central Arkansas; both were education majors.

“I was instrumental in Connie meeting her husband, David,” Ploszay said, laughing. “I was the only one on campus with a car, and that was because my brother gave me his car when he went to Korea. Everyone wanted to go with me when we cruised Conway. I was interested in a guy who knew David and David wanted to meet Connie, so that worked out well for them.”

Ploszay and Trent both became teachers; Ploszay taught for 45 years in the North Little Rock School District, and Trent taught for two years in the North Little Rock area and 22 years at the School for Little People at First United Methodist Church in Conway. Trent was also a professional clown, performing often in Conway. She worked in the family business, too, at Trent Properties in Conway.

“We had a lifelong friendship,” Ploszay said.