Tomie Powell
Tomie Powell was a dedicated family woman.
“She cared about her grandkids,” her son Jimmy Powell said. “She would go the extra mile to help out any way she could.”
Tomie (Kasai) Powell died Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. She was 75.
“When she passed, I had a house full of family to see her off,” Powell said.
Tomie (Kasai) Powell was born on May 10, 1935, to Soyo Kasai in Aomori-Ken, Japan. She was the youngest of five children.
She married James F. Powell of the U.S. Armed Forces on Oct. 2, 1956, in Tokyo, Japan. Shortly after, they were reassigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., where Mrs. Powell owned Kasai the Tailor sewing shop.
She was an active member of The Kaedekai Japanese Club in Fayetteville, N.C.
"It helped her keep in touch with her Japanese culture," her son said.
She would dress and dance in the traditional kimono for celebratory events. She enjoyed hosting traditional Japanese luncheons with committee members and her closest friends.
When she lived in North Carolina, Mrs. Powell loved to be outside with her family. She enjoyed fall weather, family barbecues and beach vacations.
"She loved the mountains in the fall time," her son said.
Mrs. Powell is survived by her husband, James F. Powell; five children: Jimmy Powell and his wife, DeShanta, of Columbia, Kenneth Powell of Spring Lake, N.C., Leonard Powell and his wife, Mona, of Fayetteville, N.C., Muriel Anita Simmons and her husband, Avery, of Denver, and Neal Powell of Spring Lake, N.C.; 16 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
Her parents and siblings died earlier.
Tributes may be posted at memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com.
