Bennett Edward Powell

Bennett Edward Powell, born September 14, 1939, passed away September 11th after a battle with multiple myeloma. He was married to his high school sweetheart, the former Evon Ann Swain of New Orleans, for sixty-three years. They have three children: Jennifer O’Brien (John) of Metairie, Bennett “Bo” Edward Powell, Jr. (Rhonda) of Fort Worth, and Merriman Mathewson (Eric) of San Francisco; eight grandchildren (who affectionately called him ‘Big Daddy’): Evon O’Brien Snyder (Robert), Scarlett and Sean O’Brien, Ryals and Carter Powell, Powell, Swain, and Larkin Mathewson. He is preceded in death by his parents, Hazel Bennett Powell and Charles Eldon Powell. He was a graduate of St. Anthony’s elementary school, Jesuit High School and Tulane University, all of New Orleans. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Tulane and president of Delta Tau Omega at Jesuit. He was a member of The Pickwick Club, The Bienville Club, The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, The Fair Grounds Turf Club, The Metairie Country Club, The Yale Club, The Windsor Club, The Cactus Club, and The Little Lake Club. He was the chairman and founder of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation which spearheaded the effort to clean up and restore the ecological balance of Lake Pontchartrain (“Save Our Lake”). He served as President of the Board and as a board member of the New Orleans Mission for several terms as well as a board member of Society of St. Vincent de Paul New Orleans. He was a lifelong fan of Tulane athletics and served on the board of The Green Wave Club. He was an active member of Fellowship Bible Church and hosted weekly Bible studies at his home. He joined his father at Powell Insurance, Inc. at 23 as the only other employee and grew it to the state’s largest independent insurance brokerage and founded Creative Risk Controls, Inc., a self-insurance risk management entity in 1995. He was an avid tennis player, passionate thoroughbred-racing fan and owner, lifelong Saints fan, world traveler, and cigar aficionado. He was adored by family and friends; he kept everyone laughing with his story-telling, jokes and pranks. He was one of a kind – a raconteur and bon vivant - and he will be dearly missed. A funeral service will be held on September 16, 2023 at 1:00 pm at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 11:30 am. A private burial will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations would be greatly appreciated to The New Orleans Mission or Fellowship Bible Church.

The service will be live-streamed and accessible by clicking the following link or by clicking "join livestream" in the service information below. https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTY5NDY2NDM5MjI3MTY5NiZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==