Powell, Bernice E. 1917-2003

POWELL, AMES, MELBURG

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 4/22/2009 at 13:24:21

LE MARS, Iowa -- Bernice Esther Powell, 85, of Le Mars passed away Monday, May 26, 2003, at Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars of an aneurysm.

Services will be 2 p.m. today at First United Methodist Church in Le Mars, with the Rev. Jason Larson officiating. Burial will be in Marcus-Amherst Cemetery, Marcus, Iowa. Arrangements are under the direction of Carlsen Funeral Home in Le Mars.

Bernice E. Powell was born Sept. 17, 1917, in Pierson, Iowa, Cherokee Township, to W.E. and Ellen (Melburg) Ames. The family lived on a lovely farm near Sioux Falls, S.D., and later in Marcus.

She married Floyd Powell on Oct. 16, 1937. They lived in Tara, Cleghorn, Merrill and finally in Le Mars, Iowa. They owned and operated the Le Mars Stationery Store from 1959 until 1964. She later worked for the Le Mars Insurance Agency.

She was an active member of the Methodist Church in both Merrill and Le Mars, giving freely of her time and spirit to many other organizations, including BPW, Meals on Wheels, the hospital gift shop, United Methodist Women and Le Mars Women's Golf Club. She enjoyed her associations with the residents of Heritage Estates Condos, where they resided most recently. Wherever there was a food committee, a welcoming committee or a need for organization, one always hoped she would be in the midst of it. Her pies and rolls were unexcelled, holiday meals were occasions of great joy and anticipation.

The couple spent many happy hours on the dance floor. Having met at a ballroom, they continued to waltz, fox trot and later square dance until only recent years. It was her family, however, that was the very center of her existence. She sewed all her daughters' dresses through their college years and sometimes beyond. Her son inherited her nurturing spirit. She planted and tended large gardens, both vegetable and flower. She promoted her children's appreciation for learning, for a love of the arts and for the beauty of nature. She was the first to hear a bird song, she could name all the flowers and plants in the fields, and butterflies were her special delight.

Each grandchild was a joy. How she loved following their track meets, band concerts and drama productions. As with her own children, she was a nurturing and loving source for the grandchildren whether they needed a knee bandaged, a warm cookie or a reassuring hug.

She is survived by her husband, Floyd; three daughters, Barbara Jean of Denver, Colo., Dorothy Ann of Rockford, Ill., and Patricia Ames and her husband, Robert Frenier of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; a son and his wife, Dr. James E. and Barbara Jo Powell of Le Mars; four grandchildren, Julie Hurt and her husband, Dale, Adam, Alyson and Mike Powell; and a great-grandchild, Madeline Hurt.

Memorials may be directed to First United Methodist Church in Le Mars or the La Mars Community Golf Course.

~Source: The Sioux City Journal, part of the Darrell E. Obituary Collection