Frances Etheleen Powers

Frances Etheleen (Millsaps) Powers passed away Wednesday, December 22, 2010 at her home. She was married to Richard Powers for over 58 years. They were married on June 27, 1953 in her grandparent’s home, Bob and Ethel Lewis in Maryville. Frances was a good Navy wife, essentially raising the kids while Dick served. She was a mother of three, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of three, she kept a close-knit loving family. Navy living took her to far locales like Morocco, Hawaii, Alaska, California and Colorado, all of which she greatly enjoyed. A Navy career kept them on a tight budget for much of their younger adulthood, but saved them from pennilessness in their later years. After a career of 25 years in retail, Fran turned her hobby of Tole & Decorative Painting into a business which she maintained for another 25 years. She traveled to several European countries, including Russia, in the 1990’s on art endeavors. While she’s been unable to engage in the vocation lately, in her heyday some of her pieces were carried in the Disney shops in Disneyworld, in the shops of the Smithsonian, and several painted wooden American flags decorated the White House Christmas tree in Barbara Bush’s era. Preceded in death by her mother, Martha Lucille Millsaps and father, Roy Elmer Millsaps. Survivors include: Husband, Richard George Powers, Daughters, Donna Marie (& Robert) Lyons of Kissimmee, FL and Teresa (Terri) Dianne Wilson of Lexington KY; Son, Richard Michael (& Shelly) Powers of Knoxville; Sisters, Hedi Cook of Strawberry Plains, Margaret Cole of Knoxville, Stella Beard of Baton Rouge, LA, and Carolyn Lantz of Nashville. Funeral service will be at 2:45 PM, Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at Smith Trinity Chapel with Rev. Bob Lynch officiating. Entombment will follow at Grandview Mausoleum Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice in Frances’ honor. Family will receive friends from 2:00 until 2:45 PM, Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at Smith Trinity Chapel. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Frances Etheleen Powers please visit our Sympathy Store.