Michael Shaw Powers, born in Richmond, VA on November 5th,1971 tragically passed away suddenly on April 20th, 2024 in Seattle, WA. Michael was raised by his mother Dawn Tompkins Powers; a strong, beautiful and free spirited single mother who imbued in him not only an infallible sense of humor, kind heart but also a deep love of music. He grew up listening to the Beatles, Carol King, The Rolling Stones and all bands groovy, while driving around in her VW bug, equipped with flower power decals and all. In Michael’s early years, he and Dawn were inseparable, the two of them against the world. Being an orphan herself, Dawn never let her son feel lonely, and so, they were constant companions. In 1981, Dawn met Paul Powers, who had three sons of his own, Paul III, Joey and Bobby; a big blended family was created when the two wed in 1982. Baby brother Nick was born soon after, and all the boys truly banded together to love and protect their newest family member .
Obviously it was nearly impossible to keep enough food in the house for all of these growing Powers boys, but somehow they made do. Paul coached Michael in football, Mike always said that he was a tough coach, but a damn good one. Mike excelled at high school football and loved the game wholly for the rest of his days. Mike had plans to enter a career in military service, but a horrific car accident that he miraculously survived dashed those dreams. Mike worked and lived in Richmond, VA for many years, making throngs of friends along the way. He was a die-hard UVA fan (WaHoo!!) and attended countless UVA games with his brothers, mom, dad and many friends. Mike remained close with many of his hometown friends to this day, despite the distance, Chris and Laura Beth being a constant in his life.
In 1999, Mike had a daughter named Lydia. Tensions and estrangement resulted in them not having much of a relationship. Mike always dreamed of someday knowing his daughter better, and building a meaningful relationship. I know that this was one of his biggest regrets, and that he held her in his heart and thoughts everyday of his life.
In 2010, Mike was a manager at Amici restaurant in Richmond where he met Rachael (Risbell) Walters. The two became fast friends and that developed into something more. Michael and Rachael moved to Seattle, and welcomed baby Jack Kelly Powers in October of 2011. Although the couple separated in 2015, they remained friends until the day he died. Mike was present at every holiday, birthday and bbq that the Risbell family had, even attending Rachael and Josh's wedding in 2022 with loving mother Dawn in tow.
The thing that Mike will be most remembered for is his dedication to his son who was truly his best friend, apple of his eye, and reason for living. The two watched movies, played video games and literally couldn’t get enough of each other. He loved his son more than anything in the world and was always trying to make him happy.
Mike had personal struggles throughout his life, he fell many times but was always able to pick himself back up. In his last few weeks, he had a new job, was making friends and getting back to his old self. The sudden loss of this amazing father, son and friend will be felt for a long time to come. He was a smart-ass, and sharp witted with a wry quiet humor, an incredibly thoughtful gift giver, lover of sports and all things Star Wars and sci-fi. An unrepentant self professed nerd, sports fanatic (Go Hawks!) and he had a warm smile that made people feel immediately at ease. His absence will be felt every day and he will be forever loved!
Mike is predeceased by his father Paul Powers Jr., and leaves behind his son; Jack Kelly, daughter; Lydia McClung, his beloved and loving mother; Dawn Tompkins Powers, brothers; Nick (Jennifer) Powers, Paul III (Tiffany), Joey (Rita) and Bobby as well as a host of nieces and nephews, cousins and many friends across the country.
A livestream of the memorial service will be available at the following link:
https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/8003342306
A GoFundMe has been set up to assist the family with the costs of the memorial service:
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