Obituary of Terry Powell

Terry Orrin Powell, a lifetime resident of Dawson Creek, passed away on November 15, 2019 at the age of 66. He was born on December 30, 1952 and was the fourth child in Orrin and Mary Powell's large family. Terry joined the Armed Forces in 1971 and traveled to CFB Cornwallis in Nova Scotia, but in 1972 he was honorably discharged in order to return home to his family when his younger brother Eddie was diagnosed with leukemia. In 1974 he married Debbie Lees and together they had two daughters, Jessica in 1983 and Aimee in 1988. Terry could build almost anything, fix almost anything, and drive anything that could be driven. In the mid-seventies he bought a 1970 Mustang Mach 1, and he became a member of the Dawson Creek Timing Association. He raced his car on the weekends and filled a shelf with trophies. He held many different jobs over the years and was a hard worker. When he returned home from the army, he went to work as a mechanic at the Volkswagen dealership Johnson and Prestlein, then he ran Al's Welding and Wheel Aligning for his father-in-law Al Lees. While he was there he built a trike out of a motorcycle and a Volkswagen. He drove it around town legally once the motor vehicle branch and the insurance company found a way for Terry to register and insure it. He was a tree faller for a while and drove a gravel truck for many different local owners. In 1980 he went to work at the Windsor Hotel as a maintenance man where he got to fix things every day. He was very pleased with himself when his bosses no longer had to call the man in Alberta who had always worked on the elevator, because Terry had figured out how to fix it himself. In 1982 he joined the Rock and Tunnel Workers Union and went to work on the Wolverine Tunnel near Tumbler Ridge. He also spent time at Gear O Rama and Rolly's Rigging in Grande Prairie, built log homes in the Yukon, and worked at the gas plant in Taylor. He traveled all over BC to work at many different gas plants and mills over the years when they shut down for maintenance. After taking the Carpentry course at Northern Lights College, he became a Journeyman Carpenter in 2002 and he earned the Red Seal endorsement. The last several years of his work life were spent scaffolding for several different companies and going to many of the same gas plants and mills he had worked at as a labourer. In 2005 he bought a Honda motorcycle and rode it as much as he could in the summer months until 2017, when it became too much bike for him to handle. Terry preferred working shutdowns rather than a regular 9 to 5 job, so he could spend time with his daughters when they were growing up. They went on some epic camping trips over the years and the girls helped him with many projects. He and Jessica built a shed, with Dad's help Aimee created a degu maze and together they all stripped a truckload of copper wire. Jessica and Aimee have many good memories of their dad to carry with them and to share with all his grandchildren. Terry retired in 2016. Terry was predeceased by his little brother Eddie, his parents Orrin and Mary, and brother in law Bruce Nobbs. He is survived by Debbie, his wife of 45 years, his daughters Jessica (Nicholas) and Aimee (Gary), and his beloved grandchildren Anders, Jane and Erik Tetachuk, Noah and Natalie Bergen, and Kamryn, Morgan, and Dillon Gonwick; also siblings Shirley Nobbs, Donna (Ed) Armitage, Larry (Barb) Powell, Debby (Stewart) Mathias, Darleen (Gerald) Miller, Marleen Powell, and many nieces and nephews. At Terry's request, no service will be held.