Shirley John Powell departed this life on Monday, July 20, 2020, at his home in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Shirley was born on February 28, 1938, in Hayti, Missouri to the union of the late Jim and Ada Powell. He was the eleventh of eleven children.
Shirley moved to Benton Harbor in the late 1950s, where he was employed as a carpenter and laborer for many years until he retired. He attended Reed Temple and Flake Temple of Benton Harbor and Restoration in Christ Church of Georgia, where he was a faithful member until his passing. John was well known throughout Benton Harbor as Big John and by the billiards community as an exceptional pool player. He also enjoyed fishing, traveling, landscaping, listening to rhythm and blues, but most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
John leaves behind to celebrate his life and cherish his memories his wife Estella Powell, and his seven children, Billy (Deborah) Campbell, Lisa (Timothy) Moore, Charlene (Douglas) Bowens, Durand (Maria) Powell, Sheryl (Robert) Penn, Patrice Allen, John Powell Jr., 25 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, family, and friends.
John was proceeded in death by his parents Jim and Ada Powell, eight brothers, Hurtis, Clarence, Jimmy D, Edgar, Herbert, Curtis, Albert and Ezope, two sisters Dorothy Smith and Deloris Douglas; two grandchildren L.A. Demond Morris and Keyosha Elizabeth Scales.
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