Obituary of John Powers

John Matthew Powers was born on March 19, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in New Jersey with his mom and three sisters.  He later decided that frigid winters were more his thing and relocated to Minnesota to start a new chapter of his life.  He got married,  worked hard and spent most of his time raising three spectacular kids. 

John passed away suddenly from an unexpected medical condition on December 10th, 2019.  

John was an amazing human being.  He was complicated, brilliant, dedicated, passionate, loving and generous. He loved his people and protected them fiercely.  He loved telling stories about his sisters, mom, nieces, nephews, brother-in-laws, grandparents, dad, friends- everyone.  He remembered everything and always had a story to make you smile.  He was an avid sports fan and could recall stats, scores, and even details of games that happened 50 years ago. He was so excited that the Eagles won the Superbowl, he could barely contain himself. He loved history and would spend hours listening to podcasts about anything that happened hundreds of years ago, didn't matter what, if it was history he was interested.  He also loved geography and architecture.  Any trip he went on, he took equal amounts of pictures of his children and of skyscrapers. He could watch Jeopardy and get the questions about tiny islands that separated 148 years ago from the mainland with 23 different rulers right while everyone else got it wrong.  He also loved Wheel of Fortune and was often told by his kids to "GO ON THAT SHOW!" They were convinced he could win them enough money to go to Disney.  

John had the biggest heart, even though he always tried to sound tough.  When his wife said she wanted a gecko on top of their hamster, cat and dog- he said, "Cool!"  If she wanted to go to three malls, two Targets and Walmart on Black Friday- he'd say, "Okay-- can we stop at Menards too?"  He was always willing to do anything, go anywhere, spend anything, if it made his people happy.  It was never a question of if we could do it, it was always a question of how we could do it.  

He always  helped his family check off bucket list items: he was never stingy when it came to dreams or experiences.  From the simple things like bringing his wife a perfectly made cup of coffee every weekend to surprising her with Trans Siberia Orchestra or Garth Brooks tickets (he hated country music!) to cross country weekend trips to see the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day or to make his stepdaughter's dream to see the Statue of Liberty come true, there's nothing he wouldn't do to make his family happy.  

He always thought of the little things others often missed. 

He loved watching sports with his stepson Michael, taking him to games was one of his favorite pastimes. He loved working on projects with him as well, and had plans to build a tree-house next summer with him.  They were also big puzzle people and completed many together over the years. They played checkers and basketball on the Switch. Mikey cheered him on while he played Zelda, Breath of the Wild, until he beat it.  They were two peas in a pod.  John loved his "boy time" with Michael. 

He also had a very special bond with his stepdaughter Ali.  They had a very similar sense of humor, and he would often chuckle when she said things he would be thinking but not saying out loud.  He often helped her with her math homework and was proud of how smart she is. He cheered her on at her track meets and bought her special treats to celebrate her wins. He even helped her win 500 pieces of candy at ESTEM night at school, and would pay her "wages" when she "worked" at Davannis for her school fundraiser nights. He helped her "create" her bedroom when she quit sharing and loved painting the walls pink and sparkly with her. He saw a lot of himself in her. 

When he found out he was having a baby, he was in shock! After a stressful pregnancy that included a heart defect, many tests, prayers and strength, he and his family were blessed with a healthy baby girl and her heart condition miraculously healed itself. Gemma was the light of his life, there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her safe and happy.  He loved cuddling with her to sleep at night, rocking her every night when she was a baby. He loved eating her piggies (toes),  playing baby games on his phone together, dressing her for daycare every day, taking her places to see her explore- they had such fun at the Children's Museum, the zoo, the park. The favorite part of his day lately was picking her up after work.  She would smile, run and leap into his arms every day.  He had such big plans for her.  We heard something on tv recently- "They said she was a daddy's girl, but really she was her daddy's world" and that sums up their relationship.  Gemma inherited everything good from John, from her smile, giggle, smarts, everything good- she is the best parts of him.

Life was good and getting better.  John loved his family, he loved his job and talked often about how grateful he was to find one with so many amazing people that also helped him maintain a work/ life balance.  We are so saddened that it was unfairly cut so short, his passing has left a void that can never be filled.  He came a long way in his life.  He was an amazing husband, father, son, brother and friend. He is missed so much.

John is survived by his wife, Jennifer, daughter Gemma, stepchildren Alessandra and Michael, mother Colleen, sisters Sarah (Luke), Becky, Chrissy (Chris), niece Kate, nephews Ian, Jack, Nate, AJ and Seth. We cannot leave out his extended family in Minnesota that loved him as their own- his mother-in-law Sandie, sister-in-laws Sue (Brian), Deb (Steve), Kris, nieces and nephews and special cousins and friends, Pat and Lora.  He was also survived by his aunt Christine, uncle Dave and cousin Mike.

He was preceded in death by his father Mike,  maternal grandparents Barbara and John and paternal grandparents Audrey and Matthew.  

A small gathering to celebrate his life will be held this Thursday, December 19th, from 5PM to 7PM, at the Aspen Room at McColl Pond ELC- 13550 Dakota Ave S, Savage, MN 55378. All friends and family are welcome to stop by to remember how utterlyfantastic he was.