William George Powell

William George Powell, 66, of Libby, passed away Monday Sept. 28, 2015, at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., of natural causes. He was born Sept. 27, 1949, in Kalispell to Donald and Jacqueline Powell and three days later they brought him home to Libby where he joined three brothers and three sisters.

Billy grew up in Libby, attending the Libby public schools. After school, he went to work for the St. Regis Lumber Mill.  In 1968, he joined the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. He received an honorable discharge in 1970. In 1972, he married Vicki French and they had a daughter, Nora.  He married Marylee and had two boys, Matt and Neal, and then married Marcia and had two children, LuWanda and Steven.

Billy worked a few different jobs in Libby and Kalispell but bartending was his crown royal because of all the people he had the privilege of meeting. He always said he was the richest man in Libby because of friends. After bartending, he worked from 1995 to 1999 for Norm Ostrem at Lee Dist. He then enjoyed working with Tom Erickson who was his best friend. Billy then wrote, “Well, there ya have it, well not quite.  After Lynn Boyd came into my life, everything just got better and better.”

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Donny and Danny.

Survivors include his girlfriend Lynn Boyd; brothers Steven of Tigard, Ore. , Wayne of Columbia Falls, Mark of Libby and Kelly of Kalispell; sisters Sharon of Coeur ‘d Alene, Idaho, Sandy, Debbie, Rebecca and Cindy all of Libby; children Nora of Clark Fork, Matt of Idaho, Neal of Idaho, LuWanda of Spokane, Wash., Steven of Libby and Jesse of Spokane, Wash.; 14 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Services for Billy will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, at Libby Christian Church, 100 Kootenai River Road. Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home of Libby. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.