Powell B. McHaney, age 72, of Springfield, passed away June 22, 2018 at Mercy Hospital. Powell was born January 25, 1946 in St. Louis, MO. On Sept. 21, 1991 he married Cynthia Wood, and they shared 26 ½ years of marriage.
Powell was retired from flooring sales. He made friends throughout southern Missouri in his years of being a traveling sales manager.
After retirement he was active In Sertoma Club (Service To Mankind) and he was “proud to be a Sertoman.”
Powell is survived by his wife, Cynthia, his son Brian, his niece/daughter, Marissa Whitley Tago, and his niece Laura Mossawir. Also, his Sertoman brothers and sisters. And many friends.
A celebration of Powell will be held at Gorman Scharpf Funeral Home with a visitation on June 25 from 6-7pm and funeral service on June 26 at 2 pm.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Boys and Girls Club of Springfield.
The following is a remembrance of Powell by longtime Oak Grove resident Gerald Clary:
Who was Powell, you ask? Let us tell you what type of a person Powell was and what he meant to OGNA and this community. Commitment is the word we will use to describe Powell. Shirley and I met Powell at Mercy Hammons Heart Institute in cardiac rehab. There was no doubt what kind of person Powell was. His smiling face and laughter were inviting and contagious. When we told him about OGNA, he was very receptive, excited and thought he could help us and joined with us.
Powell retired in 2001 and has devoted his time to area charities. He belongs to two Sertoma Clubs – the Heart of the Ozarks Sertoma and Springfield Sertoma. Powell was past president of the Heart of the Ozarks Club and was the current bingo chairman as well as a board member. He donated his time every Thursday afternoon and evening to an activity to raise funds for children’s charities. Their bingo activities raised over $158,000 one year for area children’s charities, primarily the Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield. He was head of the chili judging committee for the annual Sertoma Chili Cook-Off, a job he held for the past 20 years. He served on the board of the Boys and Girls Clubs and on different committees on their behalf. He has helped to make playing fields and a concession stand in a park on Park Street.
He also currently served as our treasurer as well as vice president and chief financial/budget officer of the Oak Grove Neighborhood Association. He was coordinator of our Adopt-a-Street program, which cleans the street three times a year in our area.
He assisted in the Bass Pro Marathon program, providing noise makers and water for the runners. He was co-coordinator of our block party, procuring food and prize donations. He assisted in our neighborhood cleanups, and last year became the coordinator . He assisted in the National Neighborhood Night Out program, helping to set up, man and clean up. He worked with Gerald and Wendell to make the association a corporation and a 501 (c) (3) organization. He completed the information and details for the submission of our Neighborhood Works Project. He is a graduate of the Springfield Police Department’s Neighborhood Watch Program. He was the Neighborhood Advisory Council representative for Oak Grove and attended many other City meetings, as well as any other jobs or activities that we ask him to do.
If we needed a job done or help with a project, Powell was the first to volunteer – he was our go-to man. He prepared all treasurer reports for the general membership and board meetings. Powell also received the NOVA award.
Powell said moving to Springfield and meeting and marrying his wife Cynthia were the two best things that he had ever done. He met nurse Cynthia 28 years ago in cardiac rehab after bypass surgery at Mercy while she was taking his blood pressure. Cynthia was a cardiac nurse at Mercy for 38 and 1/2 years before retiring. Powell said that he was glad he now had time to give back to a wonderful caring and giving community like Springfield.
As one can see, Powell was very busy and involved in many activities in our community. We are sure glad that he moved into our area and became a member of OGNA. Hopefully you know a little bit more about who Powell was.
Goodbye, Powell old friend and rest in peace. Thanks for all the work that you have done. You will be sorely missed. Cynthia and Brian, don’t worry, for the Bible says, “absent from the body, present with the Lord.”
With his smiling face, jokes and laughter, Powell may be making the Lord and angels laugh right now.