Donald C. Powers, 89

October 20, 2019

Donald C. Powers (aka Don, DC, Pop Pop) of Lititz (formerly of Lancaster), passed away on October 20th, 2019, at Landis Homes, of Alzheimer’s disease.

Born in New Kensington, PA, Don was the youngest of three children born to the late A. Clyde and Elizabeth (Garner) Powers. His brother, Robert Powers of Atascadero, CA, and his sister, June (McArdle) Powers of Dade City, FL, preceded him in death. He was the devoted husband of the late Phyllis Jean (Marr) “Phoopie” Powers, with whom he shared 57 years of marriage until her death in 2009.

Don grew up in New Kensington, PA. He played football and baseball at New Kensington High School, graduating in 1948. Most important, he met the love of his life, Phyllis Jean Marr. Don and Phyllis married on August 30th, 1952.

After graduating high school, Don enrolled at Penn State University, but in 1951, with the Korean War looming, he put graduation on hold and entered the Navy Officer Candidate School with plans to become a pilot. During his active duty service with the US Navy, he was stationed on the island of Malta, flying on missions throughout Europe.

Upon transferring to the Reserves in 1956, Don and Phyllis moved to Lancaster, PA. Don completed his BS in secondary science and social studies education at Millersville State, graduating in 1958. He later went on to earn his MS in school administration from West Chester State College. He began his teaching career at the new Penn Manor High School in 1958, teaching classes from middle school science to high school physics. In 1959, he was hired by the school district of Lancaster as a science teacher, where he stayed for the next four years. In 1963, he transferred to McCaskey High School as a social studies teacher, also helping to establish the school’s aviation program. He spent 25 years at McCaskey and had a positive influence on many lives. Don also continued his career as a Naval reservist, achieving the rank of Captain by the time of his retirement in 1975.

Don retired from teaching in 1988, but there was no real retirement: he founded Colonial Traffic Service in 1974 and Lancaster Asphalt Systems (LAS) in 1983, a business he developed with his son Wes (current owner) as well as other family members over the years. He continued to work at and be an integral part of LAS until 2015. The groundwork Don set has enabled LAS to remain successful for 45 years.

Don and Phyllis had five children: Enid (wife of Arthur Jacobus), of Lititz; Robert (husband of Jennifer O’Brien Powers), of Louisville, KY; Wesley (husband of Bonnie Wolgemuth Powers), of Lititz; Lois (wife of Jeffrey Class), of Lititz; and Dwight (husband of Jennifer Knabb Powers), of West Chester, PA. These five children, along with 16 grandchildren, were the focus of Don and Phyllis’s lives. One of their favorite things to do were yearly family vacations at Bethany Beach DE, although once the family grew so large the vacations were moved to the Outer Banks NC.

A Celebration of Life Gathering will be scheduled in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Don and Phyllis’s names to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 8th Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001 or to the American Heart Association, PO Box 3049, Syracuse, NY 13220.