BOMBER MEMORIAL

JACQUELINE RAE "JACQUE" PORTER POWERS ~ Class of 1966
March 14, 1948 - December 23, 2023



Jacqueline Rae (Porter) Powers was born in Richland on March 14, 1948, to William Osborn Porter and Clarice Elinor (Skyles) Porter. She was raised in Richland, where she attended school and graduated with the Class of 1966 from Richland's Columbia High School.

Jacque attended Columbia Basin College where she met the love of her life, Ed Powers (Wa-Hi '66). They met on the first day of classes and dropped out of college to be married on April 1, 1967.

Ed was inducted into the United States Army in September of that year, and Jacque moved back into her parents' home until Ed's training was finished. They moved to Wilmington, Ohio in April of 1968.

After a few months, Ed was transferred to Ft. Bliss, Texas for more training. Their daughter, Leah ('88), was born there on November 7, 1969.

After Ed's Honorable Discharge from the Army in 1971 they returned to make their home in the Tri Cities. Their son, Eugene O'Neil "Neil" ('94), was born in Richland on February 13, 1974.

They raised their family in the Tri Cities with both children graduating from Richland High School.

In 1991, Ed was called into the Ministry of the United Methodist Church, and in 1995 they moved to Iowa, where he served various churches until 2015 when they retired to Amarillo, TX.

She worked at many jobs during her life. Jacque sewed custom draperies, made clothing, soldered parts at Hallicrafters Radios, and even made Flairs for the Army. When her children were young, she babysat in her home and then went to work for Boeing Computer Services where she worked as a Software Engineer. When they moved to Iowa she went to work for Transamerica as a Software Engineer, receiving several promotions and was highly respected. She retired in 2014.

She lived in Amarillo until her death on December 23, 2023. She suffered from Alzheimer's the last nine years of her life and lived at home until 18 days before her death. Ed was with her when she passed.

Jacque was cremated in Amarillo. Ed transported her ashes to Richland when he returned to Richland to live with his son's family. After Ed's death, sometime in the future, their ashes will be spread at Bison Creek Ranch in Montana.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Leah ('88) , on July 13, 2023.

Bomber Memorial put together by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66).