Richard (Dick) Wayland Powers' Obituary
Richard (Dick) Wayland Powers of Aurora, OH, was born April 11, 1936, in Buffalo, NY, and died peacefully December 11, 2024. In the 88 years between, Dick was loved by many and lived a full and accomplished life.
Dick was raised by his parents, Gwendolyn (Roberts) and Wayland Powers, in Hamburg, NY, where he attended Hamburg High School and spent summer vacations fishing and boating with his family at their cottage on Round Lake in Ontario, Canada. He played on the high school basketball team and ran track, becoming team captain and winning two Western New York sprint championships. He was elected student council president and graduated in 1954 as a member of the National Honor Society. Dick then attended Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, where he studied history and developed a love for higher education. He was an active member and president of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and served as co-editor of The Kaldron, Allegheny’s yearbook, before graduating in 1958.
Dick began his career in higher education in the Dean of Men’s office at Kent State University while in graduate school studying political science. He met his first wife, Polly Susan Jordan, an undergraduate student at Kent State, on a blind date in 1959. They were married in 1960, and soon moved to Bloomington, IN, for Dick to study at Indiana University and advance his budding career in student affairs. Dick earned a Ph.D. with a double major in higher education and political science in 1969. Dick’s thoughtful leadership in student affairs, finance, and administration led to a long and distinguished career in executive leadership positions as a vice president at the University of Vermont, Fairleigh Dickinson University, South Dakota State University, and Hiram College, where he retired in 2003.
Following Polly’s death in 2003 after 43 years of marriage, Dick found love again with Christine (Mead) Johnson, whom he married in 2005. Dick and Chris loved how their children and grandchildren blended and cared for each other. Dick’s role as a husband, father, and grandfather provided him with great joy, and he was a steady source of support and guidance to all.
Dick and Chris enjoyed retirement together in Aurora, while also spending many summers at Chautauqua Lake in western NY, where they taught their grandchildren to fish, tube, and play train dominos, and winters in Ft. Myers, FL, where they found enjoyment on pickleball and tennis courts with their children, grandchildren, and many friends. Dick and Chris traveled the world extensively, often with Dick’s close fraternity brothers and their wives.
Dick was a lifelong dog lover who also enjoyed reading, spending time with friends and neighbors, playing games of strategy, especially bridge, working in his yard, planting trees, and bird watching (or squirrel hunting!). He proudly watched his children, and later his grandchildren, play a variety of sports, including baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and volleyball. Dick was also a big fan of Cleveland’s pro sports teams, especially the Guardians, whose games he frequently attended with Chris, scorebook in hand.
Dick is survived by his loving wife, Chris, of Aurora; his son, David Powers and wife, Pattajit, of Park City, UT; his son, John Powers and wife, Regina, of Arlington, VA; grandchildren Kataleeya, Annalina, Gwendolyn, Simon, and Ryan Powers; Chris’s son, Bob Johnson and wife, Teri, of Chagrin Falls, OH; Chris’s daughter, Kristen Johnson, of Willoughby, OH; “bonus” grandchildren Brynn, Danielle, and Billie Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring of 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Dick’s memory be made to Allegheny College (520 N. Main St., Meadville, PA 16335) or to a charity of your choice.
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