Bernice Eloise Powell was born March 21, 1924 and passed away September 6, 2022 at the age of 98.  She was preceded in death by her mother and father, William T. and Hattie Robinson, husband, Chester Powell, and son Bill Powell.  She is survived by her daughter in law, Donna Powell of Huntsville, her granddaughters, Keri Grayson (Dale) of Pasadena, and Kimberly Allee (Shane) of Huntsville, great grandchildren Maci Jones (Jacob), Trey Grayson, Hunter Countz, Emma Grayson, Kayden Allee, and Kimberlyn Allee, and her great great granddaughter Sophia Jones.  Eloise also leaves behind numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

Eloise was born at home in Walker County, in the community of Crabbs Prairie.  This is where she attended school through 8th grade, at the Crabbs Prairie Schoolhouse.  She skipped 9th grade, and then attended 10th and 11th grades at Huntsville High School.  During her high school years at HHS, Eloise developed excellent typing and shorthand skills, which caught the attention of the Superintendent of HISD, Dr. Richard Hawkins.  He would often call the school and ask for her to be released from class to come work in his office.

Upon graduation from HHS in 1940, Eloise attended college at Sam Houston State Teacher's College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, in 1944.  This was the same year Eloise married the love of her life, Chester Powell.  Her administrative career continued to grow during this time, and she was hired as the Administrative Secretary to Dr. Hamon Lowman, who was the President of Sam Houston Teacher's College.  Eloise worked in the President's office for the next 30 years, and during that time she served two additional Presidents, Dr. Arleigh B. Templeton, and Dr. Elliott Bowers.  During her tenure at Sam Houston, she sponsored/helped to found the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, which made her an Honorary Lifetime Member.  After retirement from Sam Houston, Eloise received the honor of being named as an SHSU Distinguished Alumni, which is the highest honor SHSU grants to its alumni.  Dr. Ferol Robinson, former Vice President of Sam Houston is quoted as saying about Eloise, "Anyone who can successfully work for three of Sam Houston's Presidents, who possess diverse natures & temperaments, has to have special qualities many people do not have, called efficient, flexible, competent, dependable, and loyal."

Eloise was a Christian woman, and took great pride in that.  She joined the First United Methodist Church in Huntsville in 1945, where she held the longest membership until her passing.  She served the church as a UMW member and served as President of the UMW for one year.

Eloise also proudly served other organizations, such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Daughters of the American Confederation, and the Colonial Danes.  She held several offices in these organizations.

Hobbies and special interests of Eloise included different types of needlework, ceramics, and lots of other craft projects.  However, what she loved the most was spending time with her family and friends, but especially her granddaughters.  She was fortunate to have        a very special group of friends who spent time together every week (usually on Wednesday) for what they referred to as "play days."  Eating out, shopping, and sharing stories were just a few of the things they shared.

Eloise Powell was a very special person, she was successful in every aspect of life, and she was a Godly woman who loved her family with every ounce of her being.  She will be dearly missed.