Donald Frederick Power

Donald F. Power was born in West Branch Michigan February 18, 1941 to Fred and Grace Power and raised in the jail where his father served as sheriff and mother as under sheriff. He always joked that he spent 18 years in jail.

Don graduated from West Branch High School in 1959 and Michigan Tech in 1964. He worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Jackson, MI before being drafted into the army and eventually served as a mess sergeant in Vietnam. He always joked that he was used to cooking for 300, which is why there was always so much food!

When discharged from the army he spent time as a consultant and worked for the Michigan Nurses Association as a union organizer thus many hair-raising stories. He completed a master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from MSU and joined the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service as a mediator where he served until his retirement in 2007. He had many interesting assignments both in this country and South Africa, which again kept many listeners enthralled.

He also worked as an adjunct professor at MSU in the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources. In that capacity he mentored many young people who to this day remember him as a tough task master, an eye opener as he tried to open minds to new ideas and help students develop a sense of self and self confidence. He challenged them, listened to them, assisted them with career advice and for some became almost a surrogate father. One student in recent days reflected: “Don helped shape the adults we have become.” Another: “Don was one in a million and his legacy and impact goes deeper than any other person I have known.” He impacted his students in profound ways. As a good friend said just before he passed “Don has left a very large footprint on the lives of many people.” Another friend: “Don was a formidable intellect and a force of nature.”

A Celebration of Life will be held at the East Lansing Public Library (950 Abbot Rd., East Lansing, MI) on Sunday, March 15, 2020 from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.

Those who wish to honor Don’s memory please consider a donation to the East Lansing Public Library 950 Abbot Road, EL 48823 or the MSU Veterinary Hospital to benefit the Small Animal Emergency Clinic 736 Wilson Road, EL 48824-1314