On Sunday, December 10th, 2023, the spirit of Mark Alan Powell, at the age of 65, was rescued from its failing body and life-long, cerebral-palsy-afflicted mind, into the waiting arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Mark was born May 27th, 1958 in Lancaster, OH as the fourth son of Donald G. Powell Sr. and Ruth H. (Henning) Powell. At the age of seven, the family moved to Mentor, OH where he was able to attend Special Education classes to help him with his cognitive, emotional and behavioral challenges. Mark, or "Mo", as he was affectionately nicknamed by his family, fought through his circumstances and successfully graduated from Mentor High as a member of the class of 1977. Mo stayed with his parents through their move from Mentor to Oregon, OH. As mom and dad entered their twilight years his siblings saw fit that it was time for Mark to move to Indiana to stay with one of his brothers and give mom and dad some much needed alone time. Eventually, Mark would return to Toledo area and spent most of his remaining years in group homes and worked on gaining skills in sheltered industries.

Not to be outdone by his sibling's athletic accomplishments, Mo participated in many Special Olympic events on local, state and national levels. He loved competing in basketball, track and bowling. His total medal count over all the years of competing probably exceeded the combined number of awards of all his brothers and sister – for which, if he ever knew that, he would be sure to call everyone on his contact list! Mo was proud of his accomplishments and rightfully so. It didn't matter if it was a personal best in bowling or winning at Bingo, you were sure to hear about it. It was a joy to celebrate his victories with him. Defying his CP, Mo had an uncanny memory, and a quick wit. He would remember things in great detail and often stumped his family as they couldn't vaguely remember anything of the event. He was quick to get a verbal jab in whenever he could, but also laughed along when the joke was on him.

If you were to make a list of things Mark loved, you may be tempted to put cheese at the top! He very rarely met a cheese he didn't like! He also enjoyed fishing, crafts and crocheting. When visiting Mo, he probably was wearing some kind of Ohio State Buckeye or Cleveland Browns apparel. But he was considerate when he left a voicemail as he always ended it with "Go Bucks, Go Browns" and then he would throw in your team of choice if he knew it, followed by "God Bless, Love you!" Perhaps he thought if he added your team, it would increase his chances of getting a call back. His stomach, perhaps to his detriment, may have been cheeseburger-centered, but his heart was people-centered. Prior to his body starting to impair his mobility, Mark loved serving in his church as an usher, distributing food to those in need, singing in Christmas and Easter specials and the like. He loved family gatherings, and it was truly heart wrenching that his degrading mobility prohibited attendance to those events over the last couple of years.

Mark left a legacy, not in empty material things, or children, for he never married, but in how he took on adversity and yet, by God's grace, he remained optimistic. The last two years were very tough with two very serious medical events that could have easily taken his life. To the surprise of his medical team and family, he would bounce back from each of those even though his quality of life was taken down a couple notches each time. Mark's spirit remained resilient and upbeat when most of us with full mental faculties would struggle, feed an addiction or fail altogether. December 10th proved to be the event that he couldn't bounce back from, for his Savior had a higher plan, a plan that was initiated before Mark was born, a plan that would bounce him thru the portal into eternal life. "Who the Son sets free, is free indeed." John 8:36

Mark was preceded in death by his father, mother, eldest brother Donald (Dee) G. Powell Jr, and nephew Brandon S. Powell. Surviving Mark are his brothers Kim G. Powell, (Lynette) of Oregon, OH, R. Scott Powell, (Diana) of Auburn, IN, and sister Donna R. Mulvaney, (John) of Yardley, PA; 12 nephews and nieces; and 20 grandnephews and grandnieces; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He also is survived by his girlfriend June of Gadsden, AL.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Perrysburg Healthcare and Rehab Center in Perrysburg, OH for the dedicated, loving care that Mo received at his final residence on this earth. We know all too well that he can be a handful, but you graciously accepted the challenge and dished it back to him as he deserved! To the various churches Mark attended in the Toledo area, your willingness to receive Mark into your congregations and provide spiritual guidance was greatly appreciated!

A Celebration of Mark's Life will take place next summer at a date and location yet to be determined.

To share a memory of Mark or send a condolence to his family please visit https://www.egglestonmeinert.com/ The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Preborn at https://preborn.com/preborn-give/ or donating Gideon Bibles in Mark's honor. Please make checks out to Gideons International, PO Box 167113, Oregon, OH 43616-7113

And have a cheeseburger today for Mo!