Gregory Thomas Powhida

Greg Powhida died unexpectedly on October 14th, 2024, which was very unexpected because he was very predictable. Most of us would have expected Greg to tell us in advance of his passing via several detailed stories using the topics of thermal dynamics, varieties of mint, and the Army troops that got lost in the Florida swamps during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Instead, he passed quietly at his daughter Amy's home in Bolivar, Missouri, where he had been living with his wife Jane for the past four years.
Amy and Joe Follis took in Dad and Mom a few years ago and gave Greg the opportunity to have the comfort of a very dependable daily schedule: morning blueberry muffin with a banana, a newspaper by the pool, dogs to pet, continuing education courses, giving advice to anyone within earshot, a television with news / Ohio State sports / This Old House, and wonderful home cooked meals at night featuring Powhida spaghetti sauce, cookouts, and make-your-own pizza on Fridays. Greg's last few years were peaceful and predictable, just the way he liked.
Greg could talk to anyone about anything. If you were seated next to him at a wedding or sporting event, you would quickly learn this as he started talking to you out of the blue. A stranger could go from meeting Greg to him immediately pivoting the conversation to a seemingly random topic, but it would make its way back to some observation about baseball field dimensions, fork tine shapes, or the church's stained-glass windows. If you hadn't been introduced to Greg, you'd know it was him if you saw someone across the reception, holding up a plate or wine glass, examining it, and making observations to the person next to him about the fabrication technique or color. The Powhida kids were raised looking at the seams on pressed glass and determining how much care was or was not taken in masking it. As a ceramic engineer, Greg had many stories about glass used in the space program, telescope lenses, and the guarded formulas to make special glass or unique colors. There are probably several shades of blue glass whose ceramic formula are now lost to the world with his passing.
Greg was born in Hudson Falls, New York and had a difficult family life that he chose to avoid discussing until recently. As a child and teenager, though he was moved around between relatives, foster homes, or orphanages, he was still able to participate in football and track, complete high school, and graduate from Alfred University with a degree in Ceramic Engineering. He married his wife Jane, who was from their rival school in Glens Falls and had four absolutely unique children that carry on his somewhat disparate traits of stoicism and animated storyteller.
Greg never asked for help, almost to a fault. He didn't want to bother anyone with his problems, so he would do the best he could with the tools he had on hand. He salvaged our 1976 Toyota Corolla by bolting a 4x4 wood post to the frame to keep the rusted-out wheel from falling off; we learned to drive stick shift in the back yard with that car. He created his own tools for a specific job instead of buying something new, and after fighting with the project for several hours and completing it, he would say, "I probably should have just bought the tool." But he never did. This is an obituary and not a book, so to save space, I recommend asking any of the Powhidas about the following topics for a good Greg story: car repair, school projects with which he "helped," using every part of a turkey, garage windows, yelling at joggers, the garden, building the home addition, widening the driveway with glass, the last bolt, family vacations to New York every summer in cars without air conditioning, any war, and glass. Greg knew more than most on a wide swath of topics and Amy says he answered the Final Jeopardy question correctly on most nights.
Greg had a tough time showing emotion, but we all knew how much he loved his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and the great-granddaughter we are so happy he was able to meet in the spring. He gave good hugs and would always groan out in pretend pain no matter how small the arms wrapped around him were. In his final months, the unemotional barrier he wore for most his life started to show cracks, and he began to verbally express appreciation and love to those around him. We all knew he cared, but it was a joy to experience him expressing it.
We are thankful for our time together and we miss him greatly. The family is planning to have a celebration in his honor at a later date in Ohio.
Gregory Thomas Powhida was born in 1939, but he would have told you he was in his 86th year. Over his life, he went by Tom, Tommy, Greg, and, probably our favorite and his, PowPow. He is the son of Joseph M. Powhida, with siblings Joseph M. Powhida, William Powhida, James C Powhida, and Mary Powhida. His wife is Jane Loughlin Powhida and the four Powhida children are Stephen Powhida, Amy Powhida Follis, Doug Powhida, and Karen Powhida Booker. Greg had nine grandchildren (Kaleb, Kolby, Sydney, Lexi, Zach, Greg, Katie, Annie, and Elizabeth,) and one great-granddaughter (Lydia.)