Obituary of John Powers

John W. Powers- MOYOCK John William Powers, 29, suffered a massive heart attack and passed away Feb. 20, 2005, while at work on his job at Prince Sultan Air Force Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. John was a native of Currituck County, N.C., and was a 1993 graduate of Currituck County High School. He also attended Pima Community College, Tucson, Ariz., where he studied power plant mechanics. John served in the U.S. Air Force and attained the rank of senior airman. He was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal by the Department of the Air Force for Meritorious Service, Aug. 2, 1994 to Sept. 1, 1997. Senior Airman Powers distinguished himself by meritorious service as Aerospace Propulsion Apprentice, 41st Electronic Combat Squadron, 355th Operations Group, 355th Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. During this period, Airman Powers demonstrated exceptional technical expertise and hard-charging skill in the inspection, repair and build-up of eight propeller assemblies reclaimed into service from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center. His endeavors alleviated the shortage of propellers worldwide, saving $975,000. His workmanship and exemplary performance contributed to the unit winning the Operations Groups Best Flying Squadron Maintenance Unit award for January-March 1997. After leaving the Air Force, he went to work for Lockheed Martin, Division of Middle East Services, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and later for Difa Operations and Maintenance Company when Difa succeeded operations from Lockheed Martin. At the age of 22, he was Lockheed Martin’s youngest employee in its whole Middle East Division. He was an aircraft mechanic and worked on the C130H and Casa 235 airplanes and was a supervisor of a group in Saudi and Pakistani mechanics. He was highly regarded by the group of mechanics he supervised and they considered him a friend too. John is survived by his wife, Aida Hassen Powers, a nurse whom he met and married while in Saudi Arabia, and his parents, Calvin and Yvonne Powers of Moyock, N.C. John and Aida made their home in Ranco Village Compound, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. John was a wonderful, loving, caring, devoted and giving husband and son and was greatly loved and cherished by his wife and mother and father. He will be sorely missed. He was a Baptist and attended Northwest Baptist Church, Chesapeake, during his youth and when he was home on vacation. Services will be conducted Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in Northwest Baptist Church. Visitation will be anytime at the home of Calvin and Yvonne Powers of the 200 block of N.W. Backwoods Road, Moyock, N.C.