Gordon Lee Powell

ST. LIBORY – Gordon L. Powell, 74, of St. Libory died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, at the St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grand Island. The Rev. Royce E. Rinehart will officiate. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Edgar Cemetery in Edgar. Visitation will be Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Peters Funeral Home in St. Paul. Mr. Powell was born on Aug. 11, 1933, at Edgar, the son of Floyd and Laurene (Elliott) Powell. He is survived by his wife, Marleen Powell of St. Libory; two daughters and sons-in-law, Lori and Terry Jepson of Grand Island and Lisa and Russ Tabor of Littleton, CO; and one son, Benny Powell of Jacksonville, FL; one brother and sister-in-law, V.C. and Harline Powell of Edgar; and one sister and brother-in-law, Joann and Dale Johnson of Edgar. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Nicole Jepson and Brandon Guardiola of Kearney, Melissa Jepson of Grand Island, and Conor Tabor and Kelsey Tabor, both of Littleton, CO; and one great-granddaughter, Madilynn Jepson of Grand Island. Gordon grew up in Edgar where he attended Edgar Public Schools and was a 1951 graduate of Edgar High School. He then worked at the Ammunition Depot in Hastings. He served in the United States Army from Jan. 1955 to Jan. 1957. Upon his discharge he returned to Edgar and worked for Shuck Engineering. He was united in marriage to Marleen F. Fangmeyer on May 14, 1961, at Stoddard. The couple first lived in Edgar where he continued to work for Shuck Engineering and Superior-Deshler Propane Company. In 1965, he began working as a mail clerk in Edgar until 1972 when he became a rural mail carrier in Glenvil. In 1974, he moved his family to St. Libory and transferred to the St. Libory Post Office, where he worked as a rural mail carrier until his retirement in Dec. 1989. In 1990, he began working at Fonner Park every racing season through 2006. He also worked as a farmhand for area farm friends. He was a member of Carl Mogensen American Legion Post 119 of St. Paul; the Nebraska Rural Mail Carriers Association; he was also a former member of both the Edgar and St. Libory Volunteer Fire Departments. In Gordon’s younger years he raced stock cars and enjoyed deer hunting and fishing. He was a huge Nebraska Cornhusker football fan, having been a season ticket holder since the 1960’s. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Richard Powell. Memorials are suggested to the St. Libory Volunteer Fire Dept. and EMS or the Edgar Volunteer Fire Dept. and EMS.