William T. "Bill" Powers

William Thomas "Bill" Powers passed away unexpectedly at home Nov. 30, 2019.
Bill was born in Portland, Nov. 29, 1938 and spent the majority of his life living in Portland and Lake Oswego. He attended both Columbia Prep and Central Catholic High School, studied at the University of Portland and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1961. Bill also served in the National Guard.
Bill graduated in 1968 with a J.D. from the Northwestern College of Law (later incorporated into the Lewis & Clark College). He joined his father James Powers' law practice, where father and son formed a law firm that would last until James's passing in 1982. Bill continued his law practice – which increasingly focused on elder law – in Sellwood until his retirement in 2007.
While studying at the University of Portland, Bill met the love of his life, Joan Mary Branagan. After their first date, Bill wrote a five-page letter to Joan declaring his love and a promise to marry her. On Sept. 1, 1962 Joan and Bill were married and were together for 57 years, until his passing.
Joan and Bill raised four children in Lake Oswego and all were members of the Our Lady of the Lake Parish, where Bill volunteered for many years. Bill coached city league and Catholic Youth Organization teams in basketball, soccer and softball. He served as volunteer Athletic Director at OLL for years, and also volunteered for the Boy Scouts.
Bill had an infectious exuberance that touched everyone he came in to contact with. Bill took a genuine interest in every person that he met, each day of his life. He struck up conversations, shared Joan's art and poetry and handed out Starbucks gift cards with an enormous smile and limitless generosity. It is impossible to count the number of people moved by his energy and spirit over the course of his life.
Bill was a lifelong Oregon Ducks superfan, weathering the ups and downs of his beloved Ducks over decades with his family and ATO fraternity brothers from the University of Oregon. Highlights of his life included Kenny Wheaton's Pick and the Duck's Rose Bowl victory over Florida State in 2015. His closet contained enough Oregon Ducks sweatshirts to rival the U of O bookstore, and he had not been seen in colors other than green or yellow for years. Bill was thoroughly enjoying Oregon's Civil War victory at the time of his death.
He is survived by his wife, Joan; sister, Pat Sawyer; four children, Jim Powers, Margie Simenstad (Chris), Molly Powers (Ryan Hendricks) and Joe Powers; and four grandchildren, Tyler, Elsa, Alice and Brady. He was predeceased by his father, James Powers; mother, Willetta Powers; and sister, Betty Lynn Johnson.
In lieu of services, Bill desired that all remember his life in their own way. Instead of flowers please consider donations to the Catholic Church, or organizations supporting breast cancer research or those serving people with traumatic brain injuries.
 

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