Ann Powers

Ann Powers

Dunsmuir - On April 5, 2021, the world lost a powerful force for good. Born in Redding on December 7, 1943, Violet Ann Aspen loved animals, particularly cats and books, from a tender young age.

Gifted with a keen mind and wry sense of humor, Ann was deeply loved and cherished by her many friends. Her compassion for others and altruistic heart, benefited countless people whose lives she touched indelibly.

Ann's early passion for knowledge dovetailed nicely into her profession as a primary grade teacher. She obtained her teaching credential with honors in 1971. Ann was a valued educator among her peers and beloved by her many students at the Cascade Union Elementary School District and Anderson Middle School.

Ann met and married the love of her life, Dr. Robert Field Powers as a teenager. Their love only deepened with the passing years. Ann was a bastion of emotional and practical support to Bob during his graduate and doctoral education as well as his illustrious career as a forest ecologist for the US Forest Service, researcher and worldwide lecturer.

The couple's only daughter, Quin, passed away one month prior to Bob's passing in 2013. Ann is survived by her only sister Rose Jack of Magalia and her niece Kathy.

Ann coped with her grief by helping others and bettering the community in which she lived and loved: the tiny alpine gem of Dunsmuir. The couple moved to Dunsmuir in early 2000 to drink in the beauty of nature. They purchased a lovely cottage on the Sacramento River so Bob could observe the ecosystem of the area and fly fish to his heart's content outside their back door.

An integral member of the Friends of the Dunsmuir Library Board for 10 years, Ann also volunteered every Wednesday night in the library. A voracious reader, Ann was often seen carrying a book home with her to devour that night in her favorite blue leather recliner with "the boys" at her feet: Harris and Sally Yates, adopted as kittens from a local cat rescue, Saving Shasta Cats.

Bob and Ann adored cats and the house always had at least one feline. Their beloved feral cat colony thrived for many years until they succumbed to old age and an opportunistic cougar. A woman of integrity, compassion and conviction, Ann, a proud lifelong Democrat and activist, contributed much of her time and money to support humanitarian, environmental and animal welfare efforts. Ann's activism, involvement and generosity made the world better, brighter and more just.

Another passion of Ann's was gardening. The garden of the couple's Dunsmuir home is a perfect sanctuary, filled with mature roses, nurtured by Ann, a luscious white peach, pomegranate, fig and apple. It feels as if one has entered the Garden of Eden with stone paths, birdsong and the sound of the ever flowing river. A founding member of the Dunsmuir Community Garden in 2014, Ann devoted countless hours to its development and success.

There will be a celebration of Ann's life in the Dunsmuir Community Garden in Downtown Dunsmuir on Saturday, October 23 at 1pm. Friends are encouraged to attend and share stories and memories of beautiful Ann.

Donations in Ann's memory may be made to the Heifer Project, The Nature Conservancy, The Natural Resources Defense Council, The Red Cross, The Sierra Club, The Humane Society of the United States, Saving Shasta Cats, The Dunsmuir Community Resource Center, The Dunsmuir Community Garden or The Friends of the Dunsmuir Library. Ann's was a life well lived. Her memory lingers with us forever as the heady scent of a just picked garden rose fills the air with it's beauty. Memories and photos of Ann Powers may be shared on ForeverMissed.com

Girdner Funeral Chapel is assisting the family and online condolences can be made at girdnerfuneralchapel.com