David Charles Powell

David Charles Powell passed away on October 24th at the age of 90. “Dave” was born in Reading PA, August 4th, 1934, to Susan Emily Hoffmaster Powell and Charles Dawson Powell. He was the oldest of 4 boys, brothers Sonny (what blue car), Terry & Robert, and was raised in Pulaski Virginia where he attended Pulaski County High School. In 1953 he joined the Army and proudly served his country as a military policeman at European headquarters in Heidelburg Germany until 1955. After discharge, he went on to Virginia Tech and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1960. After graduation he held jobs at York Corporation, Piping Promotion Trust and Young/Atlanta Corporation, until he pursued his real passion, being president of and operating his own business. He started Enco Contractors, Inc in 1975, where he was a contractor for different commercial construction sites across metro Atlanta. He loved this company and job and proudly took his children to the sites during the construction process. Not many pictures of dad do not include him wearing a hard hat! He took a different direction in 1987 and started H/P Industries, Inc, where he concentrated more on selling and supplying different industrial equipment used in large scale construction projects. He loved and had great pride in the opportunity that he had at H/P to have his son work alongside him. He loved his work and never wanted to stop creating opportunities in business, running this company until he was 86!

He met Janice Prevost Richmond, while pumping gas as a station attendant. They married on August 29, 1959, and were married for 64 years before her passing last year. His work took him to Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York and back to Atlanta, where they settled into living in Dunwoody for the next 51 years. He was father to three children, Kim, Andy & Kerry.

Dad was a very driven man and had many ambitions. He was active in state and national politics, loved holding positions in different professional societies, including Dekalb Chamber of Commerce (Chairman of Transportation) Georgia Kidney Foundation (Board of Trustees) and MARTA (Board of Ethics) He maintained his private pilots license, enjoying the opportunity to fly him and his family out of PDK.

Dad was very physically active. He joined in the running craze in the seventies, disciplined himself to be a serious runner and created the love and discipline of running in his kids (well maybe there was a little quarrelling when he told us to go run) He loved to play tennis, especially with mom and family in our epic family tennis “tournaments”. He loved to play golf and certainly found many opportunities to play with his son and son-in-law. One of dad’s greatest passions was being an integral part of his children’s athletic endeavors, it would be hard pressed to come up with a game or match that he missed being a part of.

Dad worked hard to create a family unit that spent time together. His favorite time in life was the special family beach trips we took together every summer. He worked hard to make sure that it was a priority for us as an entire family and as it grew to large proportions, it became even more crazy and special. He always wanted to be with family, loved getting together to eat pizza (could have eaten pizza and had a glass of red wine every day of his life if he was permitted) or go sit on the patio of the local Mexican restaurant for his chalupa and nachos (which he always tried to order in the native tongue)

He leaves behind his daughter Kim Elder (Eric) son Andy Powell (Thuy) and daughter Kerry Gragg (Scott), as well as two brothers, Sonny & Robert. He always wanted time with his grandchildren, whether to have them work with them, watch them dance, or play a game of catch. He was always

willing to sit on the rug and just play with them. As he was with his children, he carried on the commitment to them to attend their games and came to baseball games close to the end of his life. He was “Papa” to his grandchildren, Scott (Becca), Amy, Katie, (David), Peter, Molly, Emily, Matthew, Elizabeth & Grace Elder, Dawson, Donovan, and Dade Gragg, as well as his great grandchildren Abby Rose, Ruby, Adelay & Maggie Mae Elder and Cecelia & Ezra McMichael.

Dad was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and we are so thankful that he had the opportunity to hear the Word of God regularly. We are even more thankful for the hope in the Gospel that we have and the saving grace that Christ gives. That hope means he has joined his bride Jan, his precious granddaughter Abby & his brother Terry in the presence of our Savior. Thanks, dad, for all the things you instilled in us, our drive, toughness, self-discipline and love of family, you will be missed.