Gene Harlan Powell

Visitation will be held from 12:00pm until 1:00pm, Friday, March 14, 2025, at Bethany United Methodist Church in Yazoo City. Funeral services will follow at 1:00pm with interment in the church cemetery.

Born in humble circumstances in rural Yazoo County to Clarence “Shorty” Powell and Johnnie Chisolm Powell in 1935, Harlan recalled his childhood with fondness. He wistfully described carrying nothing more than a biscuit with a bit of molasses in his lunch pail to Benton Grammar School and his excitement on Saturday mornings at the Dixie Theatre watching Gene Autry right the West week after week. He showed significant promise when his inspiring campaign speech won him the election for Student Council President at Benton High School, but Harlan proved unable to manage his time well after enrolling at Holmes Community College. He dropped out and joined the Army in 1953. He met a pretty girl named Bess Stubblefield from Benton just before shipping off to Japan, where his ability to type got him out of the harsh conditions of combat training and into the warm, dry supply room. Upon his return home to Mississippi, he married the lovely lass who’d become his pen pal in Japan. The pair got started on their family that would grow to seven children. Juggling a career and family, he returned to night school on the GI Bill and earned his degree in business at Mississippi College. He went on to become a founding partner in Central Pipe Supply, Inc., a regional supplier for cities and industry.

In 1970, the Powell family was shaken just days before Christmas by the sudden death of six-year old Faron John, a moment that led Harlan to dedicate his life as service to Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. His free time was spent playing guitar, singing and writing, and over the years, he used these creative tools to reach a broad audience with a message of positivity and judgement-free acceptance. His weekly column “On the Road with Gene Powell” in the Yazoo Herald recounted tales from his childhood in the hills of Graball and observations from his journeys as a traveling salesman in the Delta. He volunteered as worship leader at Bethany Methodist Church and travelled with renowned Yazoo comedian, Jerry Clower. It was only fitting when happenstance led him to audition for a part in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? where he performed alongside Tim Blake Nelson as the preacher in the famous baptism scene of the classic film.

He retired in 1992 and on a whim, purchased a Yamaha motorcycle which soon led him to a ministry with the Christian Motorcyclists Association based in Hatfield, Arkansas. He and Bess relocated to Mena, Arkansas in the early 1990s and traveled extensively with CMA, participating in ministry at prisons and motorcycle gatherings. Later, he penned a biography of the founder of CMA in a book titled Fisher of Men: The Motorcycle Ministry of Herb Shreve, considered by some to be his magnum opus.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Bess Powell, sons Gene Harlan Powell, Jr. and Faron John Powell, parents Clarence M. Powell and Johnnie C. Powell, grandson Jonathan Elias Diaz, and beloved English bulldog, MeMe.

Survived by sisters Freida Hood, Carolyn Grittner; children Donna (Joey) Diaz, Caren (Bob) Brister, Sandra (John) Cartwright, Wesley Powell, and Mary Bess (Alex) Gloria; grandchildren Robert Brister, Morgan Hegi, RJ Diaz, Wes Powell, Zachary Gene Powell, Kate Price, Elijah Powell, Audrey Saxton, John Cartwright, Lucy Gloria, Taj Gloria as well as seven great-grandchildren and one great-grandchild due in April.

He spent his last year at the Veterans Home in Collins, where he was befriended by fellow veterans, Ray Lindsey and James Chance. The three came to be known as The Three Amigos. He was well cared for by his children and the VA nurses and staff, many of whom adopted him as a grandfather and used the word “sweet” to describe him. He may have eschewed this moniker in his younger years, but weathered as he was by age and time and experience, his heart was open to receiving such a compliment. He celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by friends and a visit to his 92 year old sister, Freida. His children send a parting message to Harlan about his legacy: “Thank you, Daddy, for teaching us to find the silver lining in every situation. For teaching us the Bible by walking it. Your walk taught us ‘Love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things.’ We love and treasure you.”

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Bethany Methodist Church (486 Landers Road; Yazoo City, MS 39194) or Christian Motorcyclists Association (PO Box 9; Hatfield, AR 71945).