U.S. Army veteran was dedicated to his family

LYNNFIELD — Alan J Powers, 92, formerly of Medford and Lynnfield, passed away peacefully at Care Dimensions in Lincoln surrounded by his family and in the arms of his beloved wife of 64 years Ann (Gonnella) Powers.

A devoted father, grandfather and great grandfather, he is survived by his five children: Ken Powers and his wife, Sandie; Pam Romano and her husband John; Nancy Johnson and her husband Ed; Julie Cleary and her husband Kevin; and Jennifer Brueggemann and her husband Brian. He is also survived by his 15 grandchildren and five great grandchildren with another on the way.

Born in Medford in 1931, he was the son of the late Chester and Elizabeth (Cantwell) Powers. When he tragically lost his mother at the age of 14, he, his father, twin brother Kenneth and older brother Chet had to forge their way without her. He was a graduate of Medford High School and continued his education at Northeastern University and Suffolk Law School, where he earned his JD while working full time and commuting back and forth from Cape Cod. He served in the Army during the Korean War and sadly lost his twin brother during this conflict. At the age of 27, he lost his father and later his older brother Chet.

Although he suffered many personal losses, Alan was an upbeat, gregarious and resilient man who had a large group of friends from West Medford. This group of lifelong pals became the basis of the many stories he would tell, regaling all who were within earshot with the hijinks and hilarity of their antics. Al was convinced he’d remain a bachelor until he was introduced to Ann while vacationing down the Cape and she quickly became the love of his life. They were married in November of 1960 and started a family, whom they raised in Lynnfield.

Alan’s vast professional career as a civil engineer took him to many places such as Alaska and New York until the day he landed a job at Harvard University as a project manager in the Facilities Department. In addition to his many duties, he was responsible for directing and coordinating their commencement exercises and this afforded him the opportunity to meet many dignitaries over the years, including Indira Gandhi, Tom Brokaw, Hank Aaron, Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl and Benazir Bhutto, to name just a few. He would remain in this position that he loved for 27 years until he retired from the workforce.

In his retirement. he and Ann moved to Wells, Maine. Their home became the center of many wonderful family vacations and gatherings. Although he loved living near the ocean being the fair Irishman he was, he avoided the beach, however he would happily chauffeur family members back and forth with a smile on his face and a joke about Al’s “shuttle service.”

He was a dedicated and devoted family man, always there to lend a hand or offer advice when needed, always working on home projects or passing the time with his many grandchildren and great grandchildren who affectionately called him “Bubba.” He never met a project he didn’t love, constantly helping with renovations, making floor plans and doing and providing research he thought would be helpful. He loved music, parties, a good drink and Ann’s amazing food.

He was the consummate storyteller and could sit for hours discussing the most important news of the day, his life experiences or his childhood days in “West Meffa.” No matter what was happening in his own life, he was always interested in each and everyone of us and had a unique way of making all of us feel special. Many of his family would wake up to an email or a text full of pride, joy and happiness, where he would acknowledge a milestone met, a graduation, a job offer or a promotion.  He always put his family first and celebrated them throughout his long impactful life.

Visitation for relatives and friends was held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Friday, April 19. His Funeral Mass was celebrated in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, corner of Salem and Grove streets, Lynnfield, on Saturday, April 20. Interment took place at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that you please consider making a donation to Care Dimensions Hospice, 75 Sylvan St. Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923. To sign the guestbook, visit mcdonaldfs.com.