Mary Jo Powell

Mary Jo (Hibbert) Powell, 68, passed away Friday, November 19, 2021, at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan. Funeral services are set for 2 p.m. Monday, December 6, at First Baptist Church in College Station, with burial following at College Station’s Memorial Cemetery in the Aggie Field of Honor. She will be buried next to her husband Donald B. Powell. Visitation will be held at 1 p.m. until the time of the service.

She was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 29, 1953, to Donald Raymond and Marilyn Vickers Hibbert. Three years later her brother, John, was born. She was raised in Detroit until her senior year of High School when her family moved to Neenah, Wisconsin. She was a 1971 graduate of S.F. Shattuk Senior High School in Neenah, WI. She then attended Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. graduating in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She received her Master of Science in Journalism from Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. She has remained an active Lawrence University alumni involved with leadership and planning committees and has enjoyed helping with reunions. She moved to Bryan/College Station in 1976 to accept a job at The Eagle as a features editor and columnist. While out with friends she met and eventually married Donald Burton Powell. A union that brought her an instant family of 4 stepchildren. In 1978 she accepted a job working at Texas A&M in the Office of University Relations, she worked her way up and in 1992 she became the Associate Director until her retirement in 1998. While at A&M she was also an adjunct professor in the Journalism Department and became the primary spokesperson for Texas A&M. In 1995 she received the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Staff, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a faculty or staff member at Texas A&M. In addition to working for the university, Mary Jo and her husband together had many extra activities they did for Texas A&M, just to name a few, she assisted with the Texas Aggie Band Show and the telecast of the Aggie Bonfire. The two also coauthored a book about the history of the band called The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and Mary Jo recently published the 125th Anniversary Edition of the same book.

She was a member of First Baptist Church of College Station where she was part of the Cornerstone Class and previously taught in the two-year-old Sunday School class for 18 years. She was a member of the Christian Women’s Connection and in the last few years she was the editor of the Advent Devotional at her church. Over the years she has also enjoyed volunteering for Discovery for International Woman in the nursery. After he husbands’ death she moved to The Langford Retirement Community in Independent Living and loved all the new friends she made while living there. She kept busy with outings, and games and all the social activities at her apartment.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Burton Powell; father, Donald Raymond Hibbert; and her step grandson, Levi Clayton Powell; as well as her beloved grandmother Irene Vickers.

She is survived by her mother, Marilyn Vickers Hibbert of Naples, Florida; brother John Vickers Hibbert and his wife Jennifer of Neenah, Wisconsin; nephews, Austin Hibbert, and Donald Hibbert and his daughter Arya all of Neenah, Wisconsin; stepsons, John Christopher Powell and wife Linda of College Station; Robert Carlton Powell and wife Melissa of Tyler; Edward Clayton Powell of Groveton; and stepdaughter Catherine Elizabeth Corkran and husband David of College Station; Step grandchildren, Amber Marie Macicek, husband Mike, and their daughters Katie and Josie of College Station; Logan Douglas Powell of Las Vegas, NV; Zachry Edward Powell of Durham, NC; Christina Jane Florence and her husband Bryce of Houston; and Caitlin Ann Corkran of San Marcos.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralchapel.com for the Powell family.