In Loving Memory of Norma J. Powers

Norma J. Powers passed away peacefully on September 17, 2026, after a long life marked by resilience, curiosity, and deep devotion to her family. She found joy in life’s simple moments and left a legacy of love that lives on through the family she cherished.

She was born June 11, 1937, in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and later made her home in Dayton, Ohio. There she raised her four children and created a home that remained the heart of family life for decades.

Family was always at the center of Norma’s life. She was a devoted mother whose strength and determination carried her children through every season. Along the way, she experienced both great love and profound loss. She was preceded in death by her two beloved sons, Rick and Randy Powers, whose memories she carried close to her heart. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Alvin Powers, and her parents, Mary D. Lawson and Fayette Lawson of Phoenix, Arizona.

She is survived by her daughter Robin (Dean) Schreiber of New Lebanon, Ohio, and her daughter Ranjani (Riley) Powers of Dayton, Ohio; her daughter-in-law Vickie Powers of New Lebanon; seven grandchildren: Melisha (Mike) Marshall, Brookville, Ohio; Ryan Powers, New Lebanon; Kyler (Cassee) Carlile, New Lebanon, Ohio; Regan (Sean) Grapes, Huber Heights, Ohio; Remmy Powers, Dayton, Ohio; Reanna Powers Fairborn, Ohio; and seven great-grandchildren. Dalton & (Hannah) Marshall Clayton, Ohio; Kolton Marshall, Brookville, Ohio; Liberty (Amanda) Powers, New Lebanon, Ohio; and Catheryn, Grace, Charlee, and Noah Powers, Dayton, Ohio. She especially cherished her great-grandson, Axel, who brought her great joy after the loss of her son, Randy.

Norma also valued the friendship of Eddie Cox, Joel Gillespie, and Annette Schall, special family friends in her extended circle of care and companionship. And Linda Conway, who kept her house filled with freshly cut flowers when she was unable to tend to her own flowers and helped provide her with exceptional care at the end of her life, and Kali Macklin, who kept the love of rescuing animals alive and helped her in her last rescue mission of a feral mama cat and her kittens.

A lifelong reader, Norma especially loved the wisdom found in the Book of Ecclesiastes and often reflected on the verse that reminded her of life’s natural rhythm: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

She had a remarkable gift for growing things. Flowers thrived under her care, and tending her garden brought her endless enjoyment. When warm weather returned, she would happily say she couldn’t wait for her “toes to eat grass,” her playful way of saying she was ready to take off her shoes and feel the grass beneath her feet again.

Her curiosity about growing things never faded. On one occasion, she carefully tended a single tomato plant to see what it might do, eventually counting 235 tomatoes from that one plant. Though she was not formally trained in botany, she delighted in experimenting with seeds, mixing them to see what might grow. The vegetables she produced were sometimes unusual and not always edible, but they were always fascinating—and the discovery itself brought her joy.

Norma showed her love in quiet, thoughtful ways. She baked birthday cakes for her family and often prepared special treats to take to the nursing home, where she pulled a small wagon through the halls and delivered them to residents who did not have regular visitors. She also reminded her kids that when life felt really hard, this too shall pass. These small acts of kindness became cherished traditions.

Creative and independent, she also taught herself to paint and approached it with the same curiosity she brought to many parts of life. She also had a playful creative spirit—she loved decorating cards by hand so each one felt unique, personal, and quite funny.

In her later years, one of her closest and most faithful companions was Abby, her beloved Papillon of 16 years. Abby rarely left her side, bringing her daily comfort, companionship, and laughter. Together, they often visited nursing homes, where Abby—dressed in her finest little outfits—greeted residents and brightened their day. They became a familiar and welcome sight in the halls, sharing small moments of kindness and connection with those they met.

Norma treasured the steady rhythms of home: Sunday family dinners, a good hand of rummy, conversations, good books, blooming gardens, and the quiet satisfaction of watching her children and grandchildren grow. Her strength, independence, curiosity, and enduring love for her family defined her life.

Though she is gone from this world, the love Norma gave and the family she nurtured remain her living legacy. Her memory will live on in gardens that bloom, in stories shared around the family table, and in the quiet reminders that life—like the seasons she loved to read about in Ecclesiastes—gains meaning in the moments we nurture along the way.

As the scripture she loved reminds us, “To everything there is a season.” Norma’s season was filled with love, curiosity, kindness, and quiet strength—gifts that will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.

Her memory will remain a blessing, and the love she planted in her family's lives will continue to grow for generations.

A private graveside service will be held by the family at Cedar Hill Cemetery. 

In Lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be directed to the following:

Dayton Hospice of Ohio https://www.ohioshospice.org/give/

Humane Society of Dayton https://hsdayton.org/get-involved/donate/