Richard “Dick” Howard Powell Sr., 86, of Addison, formerly of Oak Park, died peacefully on Feb. 23, surrounded by members of his family. It was the final strand in the long and rich life tapestry of a man who managed to follow his passions and realize his dreams while meeting his numerous responsibilities.
Born and raised in Oak Park, his first brief career was as a pre-school model for several national advertising campaigns.
After high school he served in the U.S. Navy on the East Coast as an air crewman. Returning to Oak Park, he raised his seven children with his first wife, Patricia Stermer (now Barret) on the 800 block of Highland Ave., across the street and a few doors south from the house where he grew up.
The Powell household was a hub of activity. Dick was the first in the neighborhood to own a 1965 Ford Mustang. An ardent and longtime Chicago sports fan, in particular the Blackhawks, he also coached his three sons and officiated hockey and baseball games.
He operated Powell Decorating for many years with his late son, Richard Jr. He became a firefighter with the River Forest Fire Department, retiring as a lieutenant after 28 years. Soon after his retirement, he was chosen by radio legend and River Forest resident Paul Harvey to be his personal chauffer. He eventually became a close friend and confidant to the Harveys.
“His two dreams were to be a fireman and a pilot,” Dick’s son Dennis said in his eulogy. When he retired from the fire department, Cathy bought him his first few flying lessons, the beginning of a journey that led to cross-country flights throughout the Midwest and to the East Coast.
An ardent Cubs fan, he nonetheless watched the White Sox win the 2005 World Series with his youngest brother, David, the family’s lone White Sox fan. Dick joyously cheered them on with his brother. David rigged the next family Christmas grab bag and gave his brother a black T-shirt sporting the White Sox logo. It’s not known how often Dick wore the shirt, but 20 years later, he died in it.
Dick was the oldest living child of the late Howard “Hap” Powell and Margaret C. Powell (nee Cavanagh); the husband of Catherine Powell (nee Duffy); the father of the late Richard Jr. (Karen), Dennis (Andrea), Jeffrey (Jayme), Anita Madren (Jim), Victoria Guyer (Gregory), Sara Asher (Josh), Samantha Foster (Aaron), Elizabeth Fischer, and Mark Fischer (Karrie); the grandfather of Jennifer, Michael, Briana, Jason, Mackenzie, Jeffrey Jr., Brayden, Lillian, Caleb, Eva, Sophia, Zoey, Ava, and Flynn; and great-grandfather of Alyssa and Layla. He was the brother of the late Patricia Dwyer (the late William Sr.), the late Margaret S. Wisdom (the late Carl), Terence (Helen), Kathleen Plepel (the late James Sr.), Michael (Camille), Kevin (Karen), and David (Anita); and the uncle of many nieces and nephews.
On Feb. 27, Richard H. Powell Sr., firefighter, his labors concluded, lay in wake for five hours at Humes Funeral Home in Addison, with River Forest firefighters taking 30-minute turns standing honor guard at each end of his casket. The next afternoon, his hearse stopped in front of the River Forest Fire Department, where six on-duty firefighters, who had waited for him in the cold, gave their brother in blue a final salute.
