Donald (Don) Powers passed away at home on August 18, 2018 in Urbandale, Iowa. He was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, August 12, 1921, to Glen and Ethel Powers and he was the third of nine brothers and sisters. Don attended Ottumwa High School, after which he entered the Army. He spent a little over one year in the Coast Artillery in Washington, D.C., before transferring to a Combat Infantry Division, serving in the European/African Theater during World War II. At the end of World War II, Don marched in the Color Guard at General George Patton’s funeral parade in Paris, France.
After World War II, Don finished his education at the American Institute of Technology in Chicago. He then returned to Des Moines and started working for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in the training department. While working for them, Don spent a year in Alaska installing the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) for the Air Force. In addition to working for Northwestern Bell, he contributed hundreds of hours repairing equipment for the Iowa Commission for the Blind.
He retired after 35 years with Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, spending the next 30 years hunting, fishing, traveling, gardening and spending time with his family.
Don was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Martha, Josephine, Christina, Mary Kay, and Virginia, and brothers Darrell, John and Theodore. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and their daughter, Michelle Powers (Frank Cialone) of San Francisco; son, Gary Powers of Des Moines; daughter, Pamela Martinez (George) of Malaysia; grandchildren, Lee, Shannon, Nicholas, Isabelle and Nina, and great-granddaughter Zoe, and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be 10:00 am on Saturday, August 25 at Westkirk Presbyterian Church (2700 Colby Woods Drive, Urbandale). Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Saturday morning. Burial will be at Resthaven Cemetery in West Des Moines. Memorial contributions may be directed to Westkirk Presbyterian Church.
