Roland Leroy Powers

Roland Leroy Powers (Ron), beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, storyteller, problem-solver, and expert on home repair, passed away on January 13, 2026 at the age of 87.

Born on September 8, 1938, in Junction City, Oregon, Ron lived a life full of love, hard work, and a deep commitment to the people he cared about most—especially his family. After graduating high school in 1956, he joined the Air Force, which took him to Germany, Denver, Okinawa, Boston, and finally back to Denver. It was on his first tour through Denver when he met Karen Ruth Christopherson, who would be his wife of 55 years and mother of his four children. After leaving the military, Ron began a long career with IBM that brought his family to Tucson, Arizona, where he lived the rest of his life. After the passing of his beloved Karen, he was heart-broken but found happiness again with second wife Christine.

He was devoted to his grandchildren and for many years could be found spending his weekends on the soccer field or basketball and volleyball courts. He spent his last months Ubering his granddaughter to work every day. His final joys were spending time with his two great-grandsons.

As a father, Ron demonstrated the importance of hard work, loyalty, integrity, and dedication to saving every document that ever passed through his hands. As a result, his children have grown to embody these characteristics as well (with the exception of collecting paper). He was exceptionally proud of his children.

Ron is survived by his wife of 9 years, Christine, sons Andrew (Kristin) Powers and Christopher (Cyndi) Powers, and daughter Katie (Fernando) Vera, who will forever share his great stories about the Mercedes in Germany or getting the monks’ feet wet. He is also survived by his grandchildren Morgan Powers; Sonia Powers; Gabriel (Athenia) Vera; Adrian (Annette) Vera; Sophia Vera; and Viviana Vera; and great-grandchildren Elian Vera and Noah Vera, all of whom were endlessly loved and supported. Ron was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Karen Ruth Powers, and son Timothy Scott Powers, with whom he is now joyfully reunited.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 10:00 am at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages remembering Ron’s integrity and hard work and love for family.

Though deeply missed, Ron leaves behind a legacy of love, resilience, humor, and countless stories that will be retold for generations.