Guy Charles Powell

On March 18, 2019, Guy Charles Powell, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, passed away, surrounded by family who deeply loved him. He was at home overlooking the channel on Kodiak Island.

Born on April 3, 1933, Papa was a true pioneer at heart, who grew up in New Jersey, but came to Alaska out of college and never looked back. One memorable night as a teenager, he drove home from work late at night, when a traffic light turned red, forcing him to stop and wait for several (apparently eternal) minutes. He then vowed to himself that he would "go to a place with no traffic lights and signs that told me what to do." True to form, he did, moving first to Colorado to obtain his Master’s Degree in Marine Biology from Colorado State University, and then to Kodiak in 1958 when Alaska was still a U.S. territory. During his studies in Colorado, he met his future wife, Merle. She was hired as a teacher by the Kodiak Island School District three years after Guy took a job with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game where he studied king crab with his indomitable work ethic and contagious grin. After teaching himself to scuba dive, he became known as a world-renowned king crab biologist, and was featured in various publications—once in National Geographic (Feb 1971). Stories of Guy always captured his sense of humor, stubborn endurance, generous spirit, and strong faith in Jesus. Guy always had a heart for kids. He and Merle fostered numerous troubled teens after he retired in 1984. He loved to take his grandkids, sons-in-law, and other friends hiking, hunting, skiing, and fishing. He also had a lifetime love of music and could often be heard singing his favorite hymns wholeheartedly whether in church or at home with one of his grandchildren playing the piano. Even as his medical condition affected his speech and motor abilities, he would still faithfully hum or sing with conviction. Both Alaska and the world have lost a special man. He left an unmistakable mark on the lives of everyone around him. As Guy believed, we also affirm, God is good, and we look forward to seeing Papa again in a place free from sickness, aging, and death.

Guy is survived by Merle Powell, his wife of 55 years; his daughters, Tracy (Powell) Wilson and Wendy (Powell) McKinnis; his sons-in-law, Dave Wilson and Doug McKinnis; and eight grandchildren whom he loved and mentored so much: Seth McKinnis and fiancée, Melika Willoughby of Arlington, VA, Micah McKinnis and wife Kristen of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kenton, Psalm, and Wynn McKinnis, John David Wilson and wife Kayla, Nathaniel and Elsie Wilson, all of Palmer, AK; nieces, Vicki Leigh, Debi Clark, and Linda Powell-Miller and nephews Kevin Guy Fellowes and Craig Powell and their families.

A video of the service will be uploaded on kodiakbiblechapel.com.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of Guy’s favorite charities: alaska.younglife.org, roeverfoundation.org, kodiakchristianschool.com, or americanbible.org.