Richard (Rick) Lawrence Powell

Friday, Jul. 31, 2020

January 11, 1953 ~ June 22, 2020

Lieutenant Col. (Ret.) Richard (Rick) Lawrence Powell, 67, died at his home in Killeen on June 22, 2020.

Rick was born to CW4 Theo Lawrence and Valerie Barbara Powell, in Bountiful on January 11, 1953. This was where he grew up and learned to love sports from his mother, where he excelled at skiing, was a ranked tennis player, played golf and was an AAU swimmer for the University of Utah. Rick graduated from Saint Olaf Parish School and Judge Memorial Catholic High School.

Before joining the Army, Rick attended West Point, but graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English literature. Later, he received a master’s degree in logistics management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He entered the service as a second lieutenant quartermaster officer and, throughout his 20 years of service, was stationed at Fort Hood, Korea, Germany, Ft. Leavenworth, Ft. Lee and Cuba. Because of his work with the Army, he traveled through many countries all over Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He was also a member of the team for Operation Provide Comfort to the Kurdish people after the first Iraq War. Upon retirement, Rick continued to support the Army with his time at Camber Corporation and, later, as the III Corps Historian.

Rick was an avid baseball (Baltimore Orioles), football (Dallas Cowboys), and ice hockey (Texas Stars) fan. He was also a military history buff, with a special interest in the Civil War. He was an active member of many local and fraternal organizations, including the West Point Association, the 13th COSCOM Association, the Fort Hood Museums and was a past president of the Cen-Tex Humane Society for Animals in Killeen.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Rick leaves behind his loving children Dr. Alyssa K. Powell and Colin L. Powell; his step-daughter Whitney Wooddell and her husband James Wooddell; grandchildren Rylie Wood, Damien Perez, Kace Shipley, Asher Shipley; in-laws Bob and Mary Love; along with many close and dear friends.

The children will host a memorial service/celebration of life in the next several weeks at Broecker Funeral Home in Salado, Texas. Once a date has been established, it will be placed on their website at broeckerfuneralhome.com. The children would love to meet the many friends who were a part of his life and helped shaped him into the great man and father they loved.