Jane Norton Powell

Mrs. Jane Norton Powell, age 88, passed away Monday, June 17, 2019 at the Sugar Creek Retirement Center. Her Funeral Services will be conducted Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 2 PM in the Lea and Simmons Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery. A visitation will be conducted Wednesday, June 19, 2019, 1:00 to 2:00 PM in the Lea and Simmons Funeral Home.

Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Howard “Brother” Powell, her parents: James Herman Norton and Mary Clara Kersey Norton Casey, her youngest sister, Edwina Jones Rabbitt and a great-grandson; Austin Powell.

She is survived by her three sons: Jim Powell, Ray Powell, both of Brownsville, TN, Chuck Powell (Lisa), Jackson, TN, a middle sister, Bettye Jones Hartline, Locust Grove, GA, seven grandchildren and thirteen great grand children

Not only being a lover of the Arts and Crafts movement in America, Jane was an accomplished artist, painter, photographer and writer. She studied at the Memphis Academy of Arts, currently known as Memphis College of Art. As Jane herself once wrote, "I love genealogy, reading mysteries, classic literature, the Yankees, Braves baseball, Sudoku, and good chicken salad." Her interests also included the Bible, God, Family, knitting, and "a lot of other things I've tinkered with." She studied at Freed-Hardeman College and Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas, ever expanding her knowledge of the Bible, its history, Hebrew and Greek. Because of Jane's great love for Family, who they were, and where they came from, genealogy research was a personal endeavor at first, but soon became of way of life. Jane is recognized across the state of Tennessee as a noted member of the handful of volunteers who established and contributed to the first organized Tennessee Genealogy Research Database.

In lieu of flowers memorial may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38101-9908 or the Charity of the Donor’s Choice.