William Claiborne Powell

POWELL, William “Bill” Claiborne, 74, of Richmond, died peacefully on March 15, 2016. The son of the late Carrie and Claiborne Powell, he was preceded in death by his wife, Janet. A 1964 graduate of Campbell University, he was selected by his alma mater and The U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1968 as one of America’s Outstanding Young Men. He was the retired President/Owner of William C. Powell Inc. Realtors, Past President of Sales & Marketing Executives of Richmond Inc., and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, the Jamestowne Society, Sons of the Revolution in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the National Society of William Claiborne Descendants. Bill was a long-time member of West End Assembly of God, and you could always see his smiling face greeting people as he proudly ushered at the church for more than 25 years. His face would light up when greeting new people or the hundreds of members he had grown so fond of over so many years. Most of all, Bill’s face lit up when talking about his daughter, Brooke, who he raised by himself since his wife’s passing. He took trips with Brooke to Sandbridge every year, raised her to know and love Christ, and even took her on most of his real estate showings so that she could be with ‘daddy’ as much as possible. Bill also adored his new granddaughter, Cara, and was so very proud to be a grandpa. He is survived by his daughter, Brooke Barnett and her husband, Brian; a granddaughter, Cara J. Barnett; and a sister, Nancy French. A memorial service will be held at West End Assembly of God, 401 N. Parham Road at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2016. Interment will be held 12:30 p.m. at Hollywood Cemetery. No procession to cemetery. The family would like to thank all the members at West End Assembly of God for their love and support over the years. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of William Powell may be made to “West End Assembly of God, Missions Department.”