Dr. William Powers

Dr. William Thomas Powers, 92, died peacefully at home in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, May 27, 2022. 

Bill was born on May 21, 1930, the son of Leonard and Carol (Harm) Powers.  He grew up in East Grand Forks, MN and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1948.  Bill earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Medicine from UND and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Creighton University in 1955.  Bill served in the National Guard for several years.  Dr. Powers was a family medicine physician at Valley Medical Associates in Grand Forks, from 1955 until his semi-retirement in 1990.  Over the course of his career, he was Chief of Staff at St. Michael’s Hospital, Deaconess Hospital, and United Hospital. He was also Public Health Officer of Grand Forks County and served as the president of the North Dakota Medical Association.  He was an active Rotarian and a proud member of Beta Theta Pi. Bill continued to see patients at the Dakota Clinic in Walker, MN until fully retiring in 1995.

Bill married Helene Wachtler on June 29, 1953. Together they raised six children that they both loved and cherished.  They would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary this June.

Bill was an active member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Grand Forks and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Naples, FL where he sang in the choir for many years.  Bill enjoyed downhill skiing with family and friends, fishing at Lake at the Woods, travelling with Helene and their children, singing, and solving crossword puzzles. After his retirement in Grand Forks, Bill and Helene moved to their home on Lake Kabekona in northern Minnesota and spent their winters in Naples, FL.  Bill loved watching sports of all kinds, and in particular, cheering on the Fighting Sioux.

Bill is survived by his wife, Helene, and his six children and their spouses:  Terry & Jane Powers, Kevin & Jean Powers, Pam & Paul Lander, Lynn & Marc Chorney, Beth & Phil Gandier, and Kelli & Dan Tannahill.  He is also survived by his younger brother, Dennis, as well as seventeen grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, older brother, Richard, and his infant sister, Mona Catherine.

There will be a private family Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Family to celebrate Bill’s life which will be followed by interment at Calvary Cemetery. 

Memorials can be sent electronically to the family scholarship endowment using the following link:  https://undalumni.org/william-powers or mailed to the UND Foundation, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND  58202 (in memo line please write Powers Endowment).