Obituary for Louise Powell On December 12, 2018, Louise Harper Powell passed away at HospiceCare of the Piedmont in Greenwood, South Carolina. She was 93 years old. She lived the last several years of her life at the Wesley Commons retirement community in Greenwood, where she had many friends.
Louise Powell was born December 11, 1925 in Bessemer, Alabama to Ernest Whitman Harper, Sr. and Bertha Michener Harper, a Pennsylvania Dutch Quaker. She met her husband, Fred B. Powell, at a church sponsored gathering given for the soldiers stationed at the Van de Graaff Army Air Corp Airfield in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They were engaged during World War II and married on December 21,1946 while they were students at the University of Alabama.
After a life-long career as a mechanical engineer, Fred Powell predeceased her on March 30, 1996 at the age of 71. Mrs. Powell’s most notable accomplishment was the raising of four daughters. In addition to this honorable task, she worked as a kindergarten teacher’s aide at Leslie Elementary Public School, a teacher for the Greenwood Literacy Council, and a tutor for the Saturday Morning Reading School, where she was on the forefront of specialized teaching for children with dyslexia.
She also taught children’s Sunday School classes and was a reading tutor for adult students for over ten years. Outside of teaching, she led three troops of Girl Scouts and volunteered at the United Ministries, where she was named “Volunteer of the Year” on two occasions. She was a volunteer at the Wise Penny Thrift Store, a secretary at The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, and an administrative employee with S.C. Cotton and Tri-Co Carriers.
She is survived by her four daughters, Judith Powell, Sandy (Joe) Parks, and Melissa Michener of Raleigh, North Carolina and Lydia (Wade) Wingard of Columbia, South Carolina. She leaves behind three grandchildren: Sam Parks of Raleigh, Katie Wingard of Charleston, South Carolina, and Daniel Wingard of Columbia. Her older brother, Ernest Harper, Jr. of Huntsville, Alabama predeceased her earlier this year.
Surviving are brother Charles Harper, of Annapolis, Maryland and sister Lydia Gnutti, of Greenwood. Both she and her sister lived at Wesley Commons for 20 years. Upon moving to Greenwood in March of 1965, the family joined Main Street United Methodist Church where Mrs. Powell and her husband were members of “The Hut” Sunday school class.
She remained a faithful member of the church for the rest of her life. During her time at Wesley Commons, Louise had several dear friends and also gained a “fifth daughter”, Cindy Gary, through a “paperless adoption”. Cindy, the Director of Resident Services, was as dear to her as any daughter could be.
The family wishes to express our appreciation for your extraordinary care, attention and kindness. We also wish to thank the staff at HospiceCare of the Piedmont, where Mrs. Powell lived the last two months of her life. We deeply appreciate your loving, quality care.
Lastly, we want to thank Cecilia and Cotton for their loyal visits: you brightened her days. The entire family will miss our loving mother, grandmother, and sister. Her gentle faith made her a strong and compassionate woman.
A memorial service will be held at Asbury Hall at Wesley Commons, 1110 Marshall Road, on Thursday, December 20th, at 11:00. There will be a brief visitation prior to the service, beginning at 10:30. Interment will be a private event for the family at Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, please send a memorial donation to your favorite charity. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Louise Powell please visit our Sympathy Store. Upcoming Events Visitation , DEC 20.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Wesley Commons Asbury Hall 1110 Marshall Road Greenwood, SC, US, 29646 Order Flowers for the Visitation Guaranteed delivery before Louise’s Visitation begins. Memorial Service , DEC 20. 11:00 AM Wesley Commons Asbury Hall 1110 Marshall Road Greenwood, SC, US, 29646 Order Flowers for the Memorial Service Guaranteed delivery before Louise’s Memorial Service begins.
Cemetery Details Greenwood Memorial Gardens 3302 Highway 25 North Hodges, SC, 29653 garyblythe@embarqmail.com www.
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