William Powell

William C. Powell IV of Phoenixville, PA, formerly Stuart, FL, passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2008, in the Montgomery Hospital. Born in Bryn Mawr, PA he was a son of the late Raymond K. and Edna (Morris) Powell. Mr. Powell was a graduate of Radnor High School. He attended Villanova University, where he was a member of the swim team, and broke many state records. He then went on to serve as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force before joining the United States Air Force in 1942, until December of 1945. During World War II, he flew airlift support to U.S. troops over the Himalayas into China-Burma-India. His love of flying, allowed him to be employed through 1951 as a pilot with KLM, flying the North Atlantic route from Amsterdam to New York. In White Sands Testing Grounds, New Mexico, from 1951 to 1960, Mr. Powell was also a test pilot for Bell Aircraft Corporation, testing the X1 and X2 aircraft, breaking the sound barrier to reach Mach 1 speeds. He was then an executive pilot for Sears Roebuck and Co. He was a member of the Hump Pilots Association and the Retired KLM Pilots Association. As a child, Mr. Powell was a member of Radnor United Methodist Church, and while living in Florida he was a member of First Baptist Church of Port Salerno. Mr. Powell is survived by daughter Lynn P., wife of Andrew J. Hedesh of Conyngham, PA, son William C. Powell V (Quin), of Hazleton, PA, sister Marion Armstrong, of Florida, four grandchildren, William, Carolyn Bassett, Jennifer Rule, and Andrew, four great-grandchildren, Jesse Bassett, Abigail and Elizabeth Powell Candell, and Max Rule, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister, Avis Lintz, of Reno, NV Relatives and friends are invited to attend his memorial service at the Campbell-Ennis-Klotzbach Funeral Home, Inc., Main Street at Fifth Avenue, Phoenixville, PA on Saturday, January 3, 2009, at 11:00 AM. Officiating will be the Rev. Elaine Miller Bortman. Interment will follow in the Radnor United Methodist Church Cemetery, Rosemont, PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Radnor United Methodist Church, 930 Conestoga Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, or to the First Baptist Church of Port Salerno, 4397 SE Dixie Highway, Port Salerno, FL 34992. Condolences may be offered online at www.PhoenixvilleFuneralHome.com

William Powell

August 24, 1919 - December 28, 2008