Mitchell D. Powell Jr.

Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 9, 2011

JAMESTOWN, Tenn. — Mitchell “Mitch” Duncan Powell Jr., 87, of Jamestown, died June 7, 2011, at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.

The Bedford County, Tenn., native was born July 26, 1923. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. He graduated from Howard College/Samford University, where he majored in economics and served as president of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. He was a captain in the Marine Corps and served in World War II in the Pacific theater and was stationed in Nagasaki during the Japanese occupation. His military career continued when he was called from the Marine Corps Reserve to active duty in the Korean conflict. When he returned to civilian life, he worked in the men’s clothing business, both wholesale and retail, for 25 years. Although he enjoyed the retail world, he discovered his passion in life was farming and Black Angus cattle. Mitch ran Powell Farms until he was 83 years old. Since moving to Jamestown in 1968, he was a member of Jamestown First Baptist Church. He was active in the community and was privileged to serve on the Board of Directors for the Fentress County Co-Op, Fentress Co. Livestock Association, Farm Bureau, ASCA County Committee, Soil Conservation Service and the Fentress Co. Equalization Board. He was a staunch Democrat, a founding member of the breakfast bunch at McDonald’s and was an avid Vols fan. He loved his church, politics, sports and his back porch. He put family first and himself last and will be sadly missed. He was a son of the late Mitchell Duncan Powell Sr. and Eula Caruthers Powell. He was preceded in death by three sisters, Ruth Cravens, Dorothy Franklin and Katie Coleman; and a brother, Lewis Powell.

Funeral is at 1 p.m. Friday at Mundy Funeral Home, with burial in Franklin Cemetery. Visitation is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Jamestown First Baptist Church Building Fund.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Eileen Price Powell; two daughters, Martha Powell Bishop and Susan Powell Traughber and her husband, Darrell, of Bowling Green, Ky.; a son, Mitchell Duncan Powell III and his wife, Paula; five cherished grandchildren, Meg Graves, Ross Graves, Sarah Grace Bishop, Mitchell Duncan Powell IV and Chloe Rose Powell; and a great-grandson, Rylan Graves Sprouse.