William A. "Bill" Powell

William A. "Bill" Powell, 78, of Ottawa, passed away Monday morning at his residence. Visitation will be 6-8 PM Thursday, August 26 at Gladfelter Funeral Home, Ottawa, IL. Funeral Services will be 1:30 PM Friday, August 27 at Gladfelter Funeral Home, with Rev. John Walker officiating. Entombment will follow immediately afterward at Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa. Bill was born October 19, 1931 in Memphis, TN to Leslie and Kathleen (Hadaway) Powell. He married Ruth Permenter in October 1955 in Macon, MS. He is survived by his wife Ruth, two sons, Rick (Kellie) of Ottawa and Kerry (Cherie) of Brandon, MS. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Brandon, Courtney, Ian, Kayli, and Danielle, and one great-grandchild, Elton. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War from 1950 to 1954. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1957. He worked for the Illinois Central Railroad in various capacities and locations from 1957 to 1971. He worked for IDOT from 1972 until his retirement in 1991 as Railroad and Utility Engineer. He was named IDOT's Engineer of the Year in 1990. After retirement, he worked as a Disaster Assistance employee for FEMA from 1995 to 2002. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Ottawa and sang in the choir for a number of years. Memorial Contributions may be directed to the First Presbyterian Church of Ottawa or Ottawa Regional Hospice.