Irene Lillian Powers (nee Rustad) On December 12, 2008, Irene Lillian Powers -- Lil - passed away peacefully at Kamloops Seniors' Village where she had resided since October of 2008. Lil is survived by her daughter, Heather Mewhort, sons, Garth, Malcolm and John Powers, grandchildren Matthew, Amy, Rebecca, Brad, Anna, Kent, Curtis, Megan, Nicole, and Steven, and great-grandsons, Kyle and Cameron, sister, Martha Groat of Toronto, sister-in-law, Barbara Newby of Prince George, and numerous nieces and nephews. Lil's family has a special appreciation for the spouses that adopted her as their own - Bill, Marie, and Traci. Lil was predeceased by her husband, John, five brothers, and one sister. Born on March 30, 1922, in Rose Valley, Saskatchewan, to a Norwegian father, Martin, and a Swedish mother, Anna. Lil grew up on the family farm with seven siblings. As a young woman, she studied hairdressing, but she felt that she should serve her country during the Second World War. Lil enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained to become a chef. While working on the base in Winnipeg, Manitoba, she met a young recruit, John, and they married on October 4th, 1945.