Phyllis Ann Powers

Phyllis Ann Powers (Loeckle) went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 23, 2025.  She was born on January 5, 1937, in Junction City, Kansas to Adrian and Florence Loeckle.  Phyllis grew up on a farm a few miles west of Junction City and attended the Walla Walla one room country school during her elementary and junior high years.  After graduating from Junction City High School in 1954, she attended Emporia State University and pursued a degree in music education.  While at ESU, Phyllis met her future husband, Norman through The Wesley Foundation, a college fellowship group sponsored by the Emporia Methodist Church.  They dated for a while, but eventually decided to break up.  Near the end of her time at ESU, Phyllis chose to pause her college pursuits, and, staying in Emporia, began the search for a place to reside.  It was at this time that the Lord opened the door for her to stay with Emporia resident Osa Humphrey, a recent widow.  Osa and Phyllis immediately hit it off and became the best of friends centered around their shared faith in Jesus Christ.  Both Osa and Phyllis were a tremendous blessing to each other during this season of their lives.

Phyllis eventually returned to her studies at ESU and after graduation in the Spring of 1961, moved to Shawnee, Kansas in the Fall and took a job as a music teacher at Flint Elementary School.  It was while living in the Kansas City area that Phyllis was reacquainted with Norman, as he had also moved to Kansas City to attend dental school at U.M.K.C.  Looking back, both Norman and Phyllis believed that God must have wanted them to be together due to the improbability of having their paths cross in a metropolitan area the size of Kansas City.

Norman and Phyllis were married at the First United Methodist Church in Junction City, Kansas on July 1, 1963.  They spent the next three years in Anchorage, Alaska at Fort Richardson where Norman had enlisted in the Army to serve as a dentist.  They joined the Methodist Church in Anchorage and through their involvement in the Sunday School class, met many lifelong friends that they shared meaningful fellowship and exciting adventures with.  Norman greatly appreciated that Phyllis accompanied him on multiple fishing trips, many of these occurring in very remote areas of Alaska.  She did more than just accompany her husband however: on many of these outings, Phyllis could be found holding a fishing pole alongside Norman, joining her husband in his love of fishing.  Norman remembers that on their first weekend fishing trip, he and his new bride caught sixteen silver salmon that weighed 5-8 pounds a piece.  The Alaska years were a fun and very special time for Norman and Phyllis, a truly great adventure!

The Powers left Alaska in 1966 and settled in Emporia in 1967 where Norman began his dental practice on the fourth floor of the downtown Citizens Bank Building.  It was at this time that Phyllis began her proud career as a housewife and stay at home mom.  She brought tremendous blessing, stability, and love to her two children Kevin and Beth through this decision.  Even though she did not necessarily relish cooking, Phyllis faithfully blessed her family with the thousands of delicious meals she prepared over the years.  She also helped many others during their challenging times by bringing them food she had made.

Phyllis was a talented pianist and vocalist.  She blessed many, many people through her playing piano and organ for church services and other special occasions.  She also accompanied multiple soloists on the piano including her son Kevin with his trumpet and daughter Beth with her voice along with other students from Emporia High School.  She had a beautiful soprano voice and many times could be found singing in church or in her home while she accompanied herself on piano.  When Norman and Phyllis were attending the Methodist Church in Emporia, Phyllis employed her piano and vocal gifts to direct the children’s choir which performed during many Sunday services.

Phyllis also enjoyed growing beautiful flowers, spending time with friends, hosting parties and get togethers.  A highlight of these times of fellowship were the parties hosted at Norman and Phyllis’ home on Grand Street with friends from their Sunday School class known as the “67 Fellowship.” She made delicious coffee cake which was served during these fun times.  Phyllis was also active in the Emporia community, serving on the Salvation Army board and was a member of the Garden Club and Christian Women’s Club.

Phyllis had a joyful laugh and was especially adept at demonstrating this while she watched “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” and the movie “Christmas Vacation.” This great laugh was also clearly evident when she would become humorously discombobulated as she was known to do at times.

Phyllis had a deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ.  She chose to receive Jesus as her Savior at the age of six while, in bed during the quiet of the night, heard the Lord speak to her in her heart to receive Him.  Phyllis enjoyed reading her Bible and learning about the Lord from the pastor at her church as well as different Bible teachers she listened to on Christian radio.  Her Bible was full of hundreds of underlined verses that she had marked throughout her many years of Bible study.  She would many times write notes in her Bible by these verses that showed her depth of knowledge and desire to grow as a Christian.  Phyllis was a prayer warrior and spent many hours talking to the Lord on behalf of her husband Norman, children Kevin and Beth, daughter-in-law Traci “Woo,” son-in-law Corey, her grandchildren, and countless others.  Much of the success that her family has enjoyed is in no doubt due to her committed prayers for them.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, Adrian and Florence Loeckle.  She is survived by her husband Norman (61 years of marriage), two children:  Kevin Powers (Traci “Woo”) and Beth Piper (Corey), four grandchildren:  Faye Hart, Avery and Alden Piper, and Avason Bae Powers, and three great grandchildren:  Shane, Kylee, and Anastasia Hart.  The Powers family would like to say a huge “Thank You” to the wonderful and caring staff of Holiday Resort and Flint Hills Care and Rehabilitation Center for taking such good care of Phyllis during her last few years.

Funeral Services will be held at the First Congregational Church in Emporia on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 10:00 A.M. conducted by Pastor Ashton McDonald and Pastor Garin Forsyth.  Interment will follow at the Hillside Cemetery, Toledo, Kansas.  The family will receive friends at the Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home on Tuesday from 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Memorials have been established with the Salvation Army or the Music Department at Emporia State University, sent in care of the funeral home, PO Box #175, Emporia, Kansas 66801.