Wilburn Clinton Powers died at the pavilion for health care at Penney Retirement Community, August 18, 2009, surrounded by members of his family. He was 93.

On May 13, 1916, he was born in Bennett, N.C., where he grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. After graduation from Wake Forest University in 1938, he went to the Northeast, where he furthered his education and spent his working days.

He graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary in 1941 with a Bachelor of Divinity Degree; in 1942, he received also a Masters of Arts Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1940, he had married Frances McNutt; they had two daughters, Cynthia and Lynne.

Reverend Powers served as pastor of two Baptist churches, from 1942 to 1946, in Westerly, R.I., and from 1946 to 1956, in Red Bank, N.J. The Powers moved then to Denison University at Granville, Ohio, where he served from 1956 to 1963 as assistant to the president for church relations, and also as associate professor of philosophy and religion. This service was then followed by a return to Chester, Pa., where he was vice president of Crozer Seminary from 1963 to 1970, and then, until his retirement in 1981, he was the director of development for the Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Rev. Powers moved with his wife, Frances, to Penney Retirement Community in Florida in 1982. His wife died suddenly in January 1984; he married Shirley Erickson of Edgartown in October 1985.

Rev. Powers’ residence of some 27 years in the community gave him ample opportunity to share his varied experience and gifts on the campus and with the wider community. He had a long commitment to Rotary International which lasted over 45 years; he was president of the Chester Rotary Club and attended the local Green Cove Springs Rotary, where he was a revered Rotarian, until his failing health prevented his attendance.

With his background in administration and in institutional development, Rev. Powers contributed significantly to the board of Penney Retirement Community, as he organized the development committee and served two terms as the committee chair. He was especially active and supportive of the financial campaign which resulted in the building and dedication in 1997 of the pavilion for health care. His development experience provided the background for his leadership of the first memorial gifts committee of Penney Memorial Church. More recently, he has been a moving spirit in the organization of the Penney Partners Program.

His broader interests included a long involvement in his hobby of photography. Prior to coming to Florida, he had been an active member of the Photographic Society of America and was at one point the President of the Delaware County Club of Pennsylvania. At the retirement community, he frequently entertained residents with multi-media presentations of his photography, and was in 2006 honored with a special reception which recognized his photographic artistry. He was a world traveler, and enjoyed especially his regular visits to Martha’s Vineyard, where since 1940 there had been a family residence at East Chop.

Survivors include his wife, Shirley, his daughters, Cynthia (Gerhard) Puchner of Washington Crossing, Pa., and Lynne (Alan) Warren of West Chester, Pa.; his brother, Wilfon Powers of Bennett, N.C.; his grandsons, Michael Miller (Susan) of Denver, Colo., and David Miller of San Francisco, Calif.; and his great-grandson, Jack Alexander Miller of Denver; and a number of nieces, nephews and cousins. He is survived also by his stepchildren, William (Beth) Erickson of Edgartown, Richard Erickson of Ipswich, and Judith and Chris Kitchin of Edgartown.

A celebration of his life will be held at the Penney Memorial Church, Penney Farms, Fla., at 10 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2009. His private committal service, for family members, will be on the Vineyard in Massachusetts in May 2010.

Memorial gifts may be given to Penney Retirement Community, P.O. Box 555, Penney Farms, Florida 32079, or to a charity of your choice.