Daniel Richard Powell
1935 – 2020
Daniel Richard Powell was born in Checotah, Oklahoma, on December 1, 1935 to Jewel Gaines Powell and James Oliver Powell. He departed this life on March 25, 2020, leaving a legacy of family and love, after a long and courageous fight against cancer. Dan attended both Checotah and Muskogee high schools. At the age of 17 with his mother's permission, he joined the Army and served honorably for the next 20 years. Dan was a veteran of the Korean conflict in the early 1950's, as well as of the Vietnam War, where he served two tours. He received numerous awards and medals of commendation during his military career. He spent time stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, and also worked intelligence in East Germany for over a decade. Upon retiring from the Army, Dan joined the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, where he headed the Vietnamese Reassignment project. He was multi-lingual, being fluent in both Vietnamese and Urdu. Dan spent many years employed in the oil and gas field, working as a lease broker. He was a graduate of Oklahoma City University. He was preceded in death by his parents, five siblings, and his infant son Jackson. Dan is survived by his wife of 45 years Kay Brown Powell; his children, William Powell, Dannell Powel, Patrick Powell, Olivia Powell, and Brian Clark; his grandson Benjamin Powell; his sister Annette Preston and brother Thomas Powell. A public visitation will be held on Monday, March 30, from 12:00 to 8:00 P.M. at Matthews funeral Home. Services are scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, at 2pm, at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel.
We will be live streaming this service in an effort to accommodate those people that wish to attend but feel they should not due to the health environment. To watch the service CLICK HERE to go to our YouTube page. Then click on 'Videos' then 'Live Streams'.