James Austin “Jim” Hamrick Powell, Sr. (85) of Milton, FL passed away peacefully last Thursday at home with the love of his life, Kay and family members surrounding him.
Jim was born in Thomasville, Georgia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Neb and Easom; and sisters, Frances and Margaret. Jim graduated from Cook County High School in Adel, Georgia after which time he enlisted with the Georgia National Guard. Jim served in the USAF during the end of the Korean Conflict. In the late 1950’s, Jim met the love of his life, Kay and they married in 1957.
After marriage, Jim and Kay quickly started their family with Deborah, Jim Jr., and Chris all being born by 1963. Jim continued his life in public service by joining the Florida Highway Patrol and relocating his family to the panhandle of Florida. After 18 years of FHP service, Jim felt the call to run for public office. He ran for and was elected to the office of Sheriff of Santa Rosa County. He served the citizens for 4 years protecting and policing his beloved county. Jim returned to the FHP until retirement. During retirement Jim spent time close to home. He often said that he had “rode the roads long enough”. He enjoyed long walks, keeping up the Powellrosa, following the events and activities of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He loved his animals, particularly Erin the cockatiel and Prince the cat, along with any stray that would happen to be so fortunate enough to arrive on the Powellrosa, which included: a peacock, deer, racoons, opossums, cats, and dogs. Jim was known for his storytelling and many times at family gatherings everyone was looking for him to sit down and be entertained by his tall tales. He was also an avid writer and journaled his life.
He will be missed by Kay, his wife of 65 years; his children, Deborah (Joe) Manning, Jim Jr. (Holly) Powell, Chris (Cheryl) Powell; grandchildren, Morgan (Philip) Corbean, April (Dan) Williams, Austin (Amber) Powell, Alan (Meredith) Manning, Christopher (Vikki) Powell, Stephen (Rebekah) Powell, Justin (Meghan) Powell; and 16 great grandchildren.
A celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2022, at 11:00 AM (CST), at Pine Terrace Baptist Church, 6212 Pine Blossom Road Milton, Florida 32570. The family will have a private burial at Barrancas National Cemetery at a later date.
The Powell family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Jim’s caregivers who made his homegoing peaceful, comfortable, and with dignity.
Memorial donations may be made to Emerald Coast Hospice, 4212 US Hwy 90 W Pace, Florida 32571; FHP Broken Spoke Club 2900 Apalachee Pkwy Tallahassee, Florida 32399; or your local animal shelter or rescue organization.
