William "Bill" Powers

1936 - 2026

Bill Powers, a long-time resident of Lincoln NE passed away in Liberty, MO on Feb 9th of complications from Parkinson's Disease.

Bill was born on April 20, 1936 to LeRoy and Rena (Stuart) Powers in Cheyenne WY. Bill and his sister Peggy grew up on the USDA agricultural experiment station outside of Cheyenne. Bill fondly recalled many adventures on the experiment station including trying to burn a gopher out of a hole with a friend and setting one of the biggest grass fires at the time in WY.

While studying at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, he met Marty Huffer when their mutual mothers orchestrated a delivery of chocolate chip cookies baked by Marty for Bill.

Bill and Marty married on June 14, 1958 at the Danforth Chapel on the Colorado State University Campus.

After graduation from CSU and a tour of duty in North Korea, they moved to Ames, IA. Their two daughters Jennifer and Susan were born while Bill was in graduate school.

After receiving his PhD from ISU in 1966, the family moved to Manhattan, KS where Bill was a faculty member of the department of Agronomy at Kansas State University until 1980.

Bill loved Volkswagens and rebuilt a VW engine in the family garage, without a part left over. He taught a class on VW repair at University for Man in Manhattan. He was always available to fix the bikes for neighborhood kids or help someone dropping by with a VW problem.

Bill and Marty moved to Lincoln, NE in the summer of 1980 when Bill joined the faculty at The University of Nebraska. After retiring in 2003, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the Veterans' Affairs Clinic and as a math instructor for the GED program at Southeast Community College in Lincoln. He fondly remembered his time teaching; not only during his career as a professor but also helping returning students earn their high school diploma.

He was a wonderful "girl" dad helping with school projects, explaining why ice could be colder than 32 degrees, coaching sports, cheering on gymnastics, going sailing on "Tuttle Puddle" in a wooden sailboat and always the resident photographer. Once a professional photographer remarked that he had never seen girls who could smile on command; the result of years of being photographed. He patiently taught the invaluable skill of driving a stick shift. He loved to cut firewood, taking a giant two-handled cross-saw belonging to his dad on every camping trip to make sure there was always a cozy campfire.

Bill and Marty moved to the Kansas City area in 2022 to be closer to their daughters and their families.

He leaves behind his children Jennifer Bradford (Curtis), Warrensburg MO, Susan Wilhelm (Scott), Liberty, MO. Grandchildren Rachael Bradford Warrensburg, MO, Greg Bradford (Cassie) Warrensburg, MO, Sarah Greenwood (Jimmy Hobbs) Lincoln, NE and Shannon Greenwood (Rachel Percelay) San Francisco, CA. Great-grandchildren Valerie, Andrea, and Johnathan Bradford, his lifelong best friend Jim Bennett (Marilyn Klocksiem) of Bosman MT. He was preceded in death by his wife Marty (2024), his parents, LeRoy (1965) and Rena (1968), and sister Peggy (2021).

He leaves us all with very fond memories and we miss him tremendously.

Private services will be held at a future date.

Memorial contributions are directed to the GED program at Southeast Community College in Lincoln NE https://www.southeast.edu/academics/adult-education/ged-preparation-and-foundational-skills.php.