Bernard B. Powell

1932 - 2018

U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Bernard (Bernie) B. Powell died peacefully on December 25, 2017 in Cameron Park, California at the age of 85. Bernie is survived by his wife Helen; children, Scott Powell, Lynne Powell Assa, Gwynne Bankert and Vicki Palmberg; his seven grandchildren, Elisa, Majed, Dalya, Natalie, Ryan, Morgan and Charlotte; and his great-grandchild Raymond. Bernie was born in 1932 in Chicago, Illinois to Benjamin and Julia Powell. He attended the University of Colorado, Boulder where he majored in Speech and participated in ROTC. While in Boulder, he met his wife, Helen Ann. They were married in 1956. Bernie served in the United States Army for 26 years. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he earned several awards, including the Bronze Star Medal in 1969 as a senior advisor in the Cam Lam district. Previously he was assigned to peace keeping operations in the Dominican Republic during which time he was awarded Army Commendation Medal and subsequently a First, Second and Third Oak Leaf Cluster for the same award as the Chief Public and Media Relations Officer during the Dominican Republic crisis in 1965-1966. He also received the Joint Service Commendation Medal in 1973 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1974. His final post was in San Francisco as the spokesperson for the Presidio and the Sixth US Army covering 15 states. Retiring from the military in the Bay Area, he worked for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the Easter Seal Society and finally at a home-based business before fully retiring in 1982. Bernie was gifted in many creative areas such as painting, carpentry and desktop graphic design and often put his talents to use in volunteer work for the communities in which he resided. As a longtime resident in Novato, California he was an active leader with the San Marin Improvement Association. More recently at Ponte Palmero where he lived, Bernie taught twice-weekly water aerobics classes and was active in committees and clubs. Burial with military honors will be held at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California. Monday, May 7, 2018 at 3:00pm. Following the interment, a Celebration of Life will be held at the Olde Vets Hall also in Dixon. The family is grateful for condolences, but declines flowers and donations.