Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
Sept. 6, 1940 - March 22, 2015

"Good fortune and a good disposition are rarely given to the same man."
- Lily, a Roman historian

Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, Patriarch, Plumber, Entrepreneur, Singer/Entertainer, Recording Artist, Raconteur, Environmentalist, Outdoorsman, Canoeist, Member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 49, Volunteer Firefighter, Search and Rescue Volunteer. Dad enjoyed a bountiful life, remarkable in its diversity - with friends from all walks of life, and a broad array of activities to embrace as passions. Dad did not waiver from his heartfelt conviction that life is for the living! Recently, Dad married Emma Brown of Roddickton and, once again, he was blessed to find love and happiness. We were happy to see a renewal of Dad's joie de vivre as a result of Emma's companionship. Emma recounts how she loved listening to Dad singing and playing his guitar daily; he was an engaging raconteur, entertaining Emma with humorous stories and witty anecdotes that kept her smiling during their days together. Dad was born in Windsor (now the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor) on September 6, 1940. He was the first baby to be baptized by Father Meaney in the new St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which had been recently constructed to replace a Church destroyed by fire. His mother, Clara, and father, Edward (Ned), raised 15 children on Patrick Street. They were a lively, talented, and hardworking family that spread across Canada and the United States. Nan and Grandfather's progeny today number approximately 130! As a young man, Dad worked in logging with Elijah Price, in what was colloquially referred to as the "haul off". They would manually offload pulpwood from a flatcar into the Exploits River, where it would float to the local newsprint mill. He also worked at Harold Benger's store on Patrick Street. Subsequently, he followed his older brother, Raymond, into the plumbing profession. Much of his early plumbing career was with W.J. Goulding Limited on High Street and its successor companies, Harvey Dawe's Ltd., and then Dawe's Mechanical Ltd. Dad's career saw him work in all regions of his beloved province, including Labrador. Dad later established his own business, The Plumbing Shop, which operated on Main Street for a number of years. Our mom, Jenny, left Fleur de Lys and arrived in Windsor in 1957; Dad's friend, Doug Leonard, alerted him to the fact that there was a "new girl" in town! Not long thereafter, a handsome and dashing 17 year-old Jack Power made his way to Riff's Department Store on Main Street where he appeared before our mom, a vivacious young beauty employed in the Men's Department, and asked her to cash his pay cheque. Mom dutifully passed the cash to our Dad. Shortly after his departure, she noticed that the cheque was not endorsed. In a panic, Mom quickly secured a colleague to cover her post and fled to the nearby Windsor pool hall where Dad was holding court. Gingerly, Mom knocked on the door and politely asked Dad to sign the cheque. Dad's acquiescence was conditional on the provision that Mom join him at the Globe restaurant for coconut cream pie and a glass of milk; such began a powerful romance that endured for 55 years. Our parents were thrilled to start their family in December 1958, with the arrival of Garry; Valerie followed 13 months later, Leo 16 months after Valerie, Jackie 14 months after Leo, Tony 23 months after Jackie, Lori Ann 34 months after Tony, and Cory 45 months after Lori Ann. They were later blessed with ten grandchildren. In 1979 just entering their 40s, Dad and Mom had the foresight to seek new horizons for the family. Dad secured employment in the Port Hardy Utah Copper Mine on Vancouver Island, British Columbia where Mom's sister, Myrtle, and her husband, Pat Dempsey, were working. We all headed west to join Dad thereafter. We are eternally grateful for this exceptional life experience, which was instrumental in teaching us about our wonderful country of Canada and its beautiful people, and instilled in us a love of travel and adventure. Dad and Mom were music afficionados and loved to dance. In recent years, Dad recorded three albums of their songs, the second of which bore the title "Powerful music for Family and Friends by Jack Power, the Plumber with the Nice Pipes!" as suggested by son Cory. Mom would unabashedly proclaim that Dad was her favourite singer. She loved Dad's rendition of "We Started Out Young", and he loved singing it to her. In November 2012, Dad, Leo, and Mom's sister, Bet Lewins, traveled to Australia, where Leo competed in the Total Solar Eclipse Marathon. Dad realized a lifelong desire to visit Australia, which included exploring and swimming on the Great Barrier Reef. In June 2013, Dad and his extended family traveled to Ireland to participate in "The Power Clan Gathering" where Dad was delighted to visit Dunhill Castle, Tramore, which was the first stronghold of the Power Clan who arrived in Waterford with Strongbow in 1169. It is said that all the Powers in Ireland descended from the ancestral home of Dunhill Castle. Music was a lifelong passion for Dad and he was an accomplished singer, guitarist, harmonica player, and, in his youth, an accordion player. In recent years, Dad joined a musical group called "Never Too Old" (NTO) which performs for seniors in Central Newfoundland; Dad, while never considering himself a senior, reveled in the group's activities. On Dad's last day on earth he attended Mass at St. Joseph's and spent the afternoon singing and playing guitar in preparation for the next day's planned performance at the Golden Years Senior's Home. The previous week he spent volunteering his plumbing services at St. Joseph's Church. Family was priority number one. Education was paramount and our parents took great pride in our early education under the guidance of the Presentation Sisters and Christian Brothers. Our Dad and Mom taught us how to love, to give our best in life, to share, to be generous, and to be respectful to others. They taught us the vital life skill of how to deal with life's adversities. They taught us the value of lifelong learning and the importance of living life, reminiscent of Mahatma Gandhi's "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." With Dad's passing, we are reminded of George Jones' classic country song "Who's gonna fill their shoes, Who's gonna stand that tall?" Dad was our mentor; if the true test of a man's integrity and decency can be measured by how he is honoured within his own household, then our dad is unparalleled. Jack was predeceased by his wife, Jenny (nee Shea), parents, Clara and Edward (Ned) Power, parents-in-law Leo and Catherine Shea, sisters, Bridget, Eileen, and Ann, brothers, Patrick, Dennis, and Wayne and nephews Shawn and Colin. He leaves to mourn his wife, Emma Brown Power (Roddickton); children, Garry (Bev), Valerie (Dayne), Leo (Judy), Jackie (Gary), Tony (Lea Ann), Lori Ann (Todd), Cory (Trish); grandchildren, Jarvis, Cindy, Krizia, Sam, Sarah, Olivia, Jacob, Quaid, Reegan and Caelan; Emma's children, Belinda Brown (Joseph Tesar), Barry Brown (Cathy) and her grandchildren, Jason Reid (Christina), Julie Pabillar (Geo), Alisha and David Brown and her great-grandchildren, Naomi and Nate Pabillar, and Emma and Nicholas Reid; his brothers, Raymond (Nena), Tyrone (Myra), Ed (Nellie), Terry and sisters, Maureen Clarke (Silas), Kathleen Drodge (Weldon), Yvonne Power (Lee Vogan), many nieces and nephews, and Jenny's family, the Shea family of Fleur de Lys. Father William Houlahan and Father Eugene Morris conducted the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Joseph's Parish with interment at the Roman Catholic Cemetery. Father Wayne Dohey visited the funeral home to pray for Dad. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Hoskins Funeral Home, Grand Falls-Windsor, NL. www.hoskinsfuneralhomes.ca Pallbearers were sons Garry, Leo, Tony, and Cory, and sons-in-law Gary Moore and Todd Barron.