Obituary for Leroy J Powell Jr.
Leroy J. Powell Jr. was the first of seven children born to Gwendolyn and Leroy Powell on May 25th, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York.
Leroy attended P.S. 44 Elementary School, J. H. S. 258, and went on to graduate from Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York. He attended The City College of New York for higher education. Instilled in him early in life the importance of developing a lasting work ethic, he started making money as a child. He bagged groceries at the local neighborhood stores and then carried them home for his neighbors. He got his first real job as a teenager; working for a few years in a popular Brooklyn records shop. As a young adult, he worked at The Coca Cola Company, and from there he procured a position at Pitney Bowes. He was elevated to a Supervisory position in the Printing Department at Pitney Bowes and remained there until his retired.
Raised a Catholic, Leroy attended church every Sunday. He undertook religious instruction classes, made his Communion, and was then Confirmed in the Catholic faith. He was introduced to a young lady in 1972 who’s fierce love of God moved him so much that he visited her church. It was around this time that he made the decision to change his religious doctrine from that of Catholicism to the Pentecostal faith and thus joined The Deliverance Evangelistic Center.
The name of the woman he met and who loved God so fiercely was Mary Louise Fuller. Leroy fell in love with her and they married on December 9th, 1972. Out of their union came a son, Leroy Powell III who was born on October 5th, 1973. Though their union did not last, the friendship they enjoyed remained strong and true till the end. In 1985 Leroy married Lucille Billingslea but that marriage didn’t make it and they parted ways.
Leroy enjoyed the simple things in life. In his early years and before cars populated the streets, he could be found playing stickball in the middle of the street. He was trained by his father at an early age to understand how all electronics worked. He learned how to take all manner of electronic machines completely apart and put them back together again. He did this while the machines were brand new. He also enjoyed comic books, music, and movies and would debate you fiercely on the virtues of DC comics vs. Marvel comics. In his mind, DC Comics was king and Superman was his hero.
Basically, a private person, Leroy never telegraphed his problems. He was always upbeat. His greatest love of all was the love that he had for his family. He loved his son Leroy Powell III and his grandson, Adam Amir-Ransom Powell and they remained his chief concern. To be sure, he was a family man at heart. One of his ways of expressing that love for family was by simply showing up at any and all family events. He keenly understood that the truest blessing of all was in being invited in the first place. To that end he was sure to greet everyone with a smile, just so that they would know that it was they, themselves, who was the one that was important to him. That, in itself, is a great gift, and Leroy had it in abundance.
Leroy was diagnosed with Renal Failure in June of 2014. He embraced this event with remarkable determination and it grew him in his personhood. The battle for life itself produced in him a braveness that few can, or want to imagine. He took his health into his own hands by way of exercising trust and faith in others. He entrusted his health care to his doctors, his family, his landlords who, for these past eight years, very much became his family, and even to his drivers. This produced in Leroy an even deeper level of trust because he understood that the very care he needed came from these people; in order that they might assist him in this new walk; indeed, this new level of being.
He consequently became humbled by this reality and, as he tapped into this deeper sense of humility, he discovered that it only made him stronger; that he could, and in fact did, last a whole lot longer. Now he has passed this deeper example of humility in action onto us, so that we might gleam what true grace under pressure looks like and how best to handle it.
Leroy passed away at The New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital from End Stage Renal Failure, further complicated by a bout of Pneumonia on Wednesday, August 16th, 2023. One of the things that he repeatedly said as he fought so bravely was, “Listen to me very carefully now.” Now, thanks to Leroy, we can all “listen very carefully” and it goes without saying that he has set for us a higher bar for what both strength and humility look like. For sure he is to be appreciated and he will sorely be missed.
Leroy Powell is pre-deceased in death by his parents, Leroy and Gwendolyn Powell, his brothers, Rodney Boyce and Phillip Powell, and his sisters, Ruth Ann Brodie and Lucille Fields. He leaves behind to mourn one son, Leroy Powell III, one grandson, Adam Amir-Ransom Powell, three sisters, Adrienne (Anthony) Towles, Patrice (Michael) Thompson, and Maria (Mack) Fuller, Brother-in-law, Kenneth Brodie, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
The Powell family would like to express their deepest gratitude to all who have reached out to pray with and express their condolences to us. We are eternally grateful to each and every one of you.
Leroy attended P.S. 44 Elementary School, J. H. S. 258, and went on to graduate from Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York. He attended The City College of New York for higher education. Instilled in him early in life the importance of developing a lasting work ethic, he started making money as a child. He bagged groceries at the local neighborhood stores and then carried them home for his neighbors. He got his first real job as a teenager; working for a few years in a popular Brooklyn records shop. As a young adult, he worked at The Coca Cola Company, and from there he procured a position at Pitney Bowes. He was elevated to a Supervisory position in the Printing Department at Pitney Bowes and remained there until his retired.
Raised a Catholic, Leroy attended church every Sunday. He undertook religious instruction classes, made his Communion, and was then Confirmed in the Catholic faith. He was introduced to a young lady in 1972 who’s fierce love of God moved him so much that he visited her church. It was around this time that he made the decision to change his religious doctrine from that of Catholicism to the Pentecostal faith and thus joined The Deliverance Evangelistic Center.
The name of the woman he met and who loved God so fiercely was Mary Louise Fuller. Leroy fell in love with her and they married on December 9th, 1972. Out of their union came a son, Leroy Powell III who was born on October 5th, 1973. Though their union did not last, the friendship they enjoyed remained strong and true till the end. In 1985 Leroy married Lucille Billingslea but that marriage didn’t make it and they parted ways.
Leroy enjoyed the simple things in life. In his early years and before cars populated the streets, he could be found playing stickball in the middle of the street. He was trained by his father at an early age to understand how all electronics worked. He learned how to take all manner of electronic machines completely apart and put them back together again. He did this while the machines were brand new. He also enjoyed comic books, music, and movies and would debate you fiercely on the virtues of DC comics vs. Marvel comics. In his mind, DC Comics was king and Superman was his hero.
Basically, a private person, Leroy never telegraphed his problems. He was always upbeat. His greatest love of all was the love that he had for his family. He loved his son Leroy Powell III and his grandson, Adam Amir-Ransom Powell and they remained his chief concern. To be sure, he was a family man at heart. One of his ways of expressing that love for family was by simply showing up at any and all family events. He keenly understood that the truest blessing of all was in being invited in the first place. To that end he was sure to greet everyone with a smile, just so that they would know that it was they, themselves, who was the one that was important to him. That, in itself, is a great gift, and Leroy had it in abundance.
Leroy was diagnosed with Renal Failure in June of 2014. He embraced this event with remarkable determination and it grew him in his personhood. The battle for life itself produced in him a braveness that few can, or want to imagine. He took his health into his own hands by way of exercising trust and faith in others. He entrusted his health care to his doctors, his family, his landlords who, for these past eight years, very much became his family, and even to his drivers. This produced in Leroy an even deeper level of trust because he understood that the very care he needed came from these people; in order that they might assist him in this new walk; indeed, this new level of being.
He consequently became humbled by this reality and, as he tapped into this deeper sense of humility, he discovered that it only made him stronger; that he could, and in fact did, last a whole lot longer. Now he has passed this deeper example of humility in action onto us, so that we might gleam what true grace under pressure looks like and how best to handle it.
Leroy passed away at The New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital from End Stage Renal Failure, further complicated by a bout of Pneumonia on Wednesday, August 16th, 2023. One of the things that he repeatedly said as he fought so bravely was, “Listen to me very carefully now.” Now, thanks to Leroy, we can all “listen very carefully” and it goes without saying that he has set for us a higher bar for what both strength and humility look like. For sure he is to be appreciated and he will sorely be missed.
Leroy Powell is pre-deceased in death by his parents, Leroy and Gwendolyn Powell, his brothers, Rodney Boyce and Phillip Powell, and his sisters, Ruth Ann Brodie and Lucille Fields. He leaves behind to mourn one son, Leroy Powell III, one grandson, Adam Amir-Ransom Powell, three sisters, Adrienne (Anthony) Towles, Patrice (Michael) Thompson, and Maria (Mack) Fuller, Brother-in-law, Kenneth Brodie, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
The Powell family would like to express their deepest gratitude to all who have reached out to pray with and express their condolences to us. We are eternally grateful to each and every one of you.