Jeannette Eleanor Powell passed away peacefully in Hailey, Idaho, on May 10, 2012.
Jeannette was born on Nov. 2, 1917, in Lakewood, Ohio, the daughter of Kathryn and Leroy Sheridan. She graduated from Shore High School in Lakewood.
Jeannette enlisted in the Women's Army Corps in September 1942 and was honorably discharged after World War II as a captain, outranking both her brother and future husband. She relocated to Santa Monica, Calif., after the war to be near her mother. She met and married John S. (Babe) Powell and raised their six children in Santa Monica. The family later moved to Idaho.
She recently said that her children—and their families—were her greatest blessing: Thomas, Kathryn, James, Janice, Ross and Susan; their spouses and her six grandchildren—Wesley, Jeannette, Jamie, Chelsea, Derek and Nicole; and great-grandson, Caden.
Jeannette was the chairman of the Idaho Hospital Council of Hospital Auxiliaries & Volunteers, a member of the Hospital Auxiliary board of directors and served as the vice president of the Fundraising Committee, and in 1987 the president of the St. Luke's Women's Auxiliary in Boise. She was also a volunteer at the Boise Public Library and dedicated to the literacy program. She was a voracious reader her entire life. She was also world traveler and visited England several times and loved the English countryside and gardens. Jeannette also was a grower of delicious tomatoes.
We will miss the twinkle in her blue eyes, her wit, laughter and spirit. She loved and she was loved.
The family wishes to thank Blaine Manor for their exceptional care, compassion and kindness. She lived there with dignity and independence.
Per her wishes, there will be no service.
