COLETTE POWERS

COLETTE POWERS Colette Powers, 88, of Montevideo passed away peacefully on March 19, 2024, the feast of Saint Joseph and the first day of Spring. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, April 5, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Montevideo. Visitation will be held Thursday, April 4, 2024, from 5 - 7 p.m. with a Prayer Service at 7 p.m. at Wing-Bain Funeral Home in Montevideo. Visitation will continue Friday from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m., one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Tracy. Memorials are respectfully preferred to St. Joseph Church in Montevideo for their current handicapped parking and access project. Colette (Lammers) Powers was born June 26, 1935, to Herman and Gertrude (Johanning) Lammers in Aberdeen, S.D. She was the youngest of 11 children. Colette graduated from high school in Flandreau, S.D., in 1953 and was the secretary of her senior class. She married the love of her life, Boyd Powers, on August 25, 1954, at Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church in Flandreau. They raised their family of five children and farmed in eastern South Dakota near Flandreau, Trent and Dell Rapids until 1970. At that time Boyd took a job with Cargill as a seed sales manager for southwest Minnesota and the family moved to Tracy. Colette and Boyd moved to Montevideo in 1980 when Boyd became the assistant manager at the grain elevator. Boyd died March 18, 1981. Colette remained in Montevideo. She was a talented bookkeeper, keeping the books for the farm and later for various accounting and tax preparation offices. She worked for many years as a secretary for the school district at the alternative school and the middle school until her retirement. She later worked at Coborn's where many may remember her as the "sample lady". Colette had a smile for everyone and an infectious kindness about her. She was rarely, if ever, heard criticizing anyone. She enjoyed volunteering and reading at church. She loved her home and she loved being at home. She loved having a house full of children and grandchildren on the holidays. She also enjoyed hearing about the family's travels and had quite a collection of souvenir bells. Colette is survived by her five children, Philip (Mary) Powers of Lawrence, Kan., Murray Powers of Montevideo, Gail Maenke of Bloomington, Paula (Don Knigge) Enderson of Windom, and Rita (Paul) Klauda of Minneapolis; she also was blessed with 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her seven sisters, Verena, Esther, Elinor, Marion, Lorraine, Colleen and Irene; three brothers, Clarence, Raymond and Henry. She also lost a great-grandchild, Justine. Colette's family would like to thank all the people of Montevideo, the parishioners of Saint Joseph, the staff of the school district and the very special staff at Luther Haven for the kindness and friendship that you have shown to Colette these past 43 years until she could once again see her beloved Boyd. Arrangements are with Wing-Bain Funeral Home of Montevideo. For online guestbook, please visit www.wingbain.com.