Virginia Agnes Powell

Virginia (Ginny) Agnes Powell, 90, left this earthly world on December 22, 2013, at Four Oaks Nursing Home. Ms. Powell was a lifelong resident of Washington County, Tennessee. During the last two years of her life, she fought a courageous battle with Alzheimers disease and blindness. Ms. Powell was born May 26, 1923 in Washington County, Tennessee to Margaret Alice Poteat Powell and Zeb Vance Powell. She was the youngest of eight children and was the last survivor of those siblings. When she was born, she was premature and only weighed three pounds. The delivering doctor told her parents she would not live 24 hours and to throw her out with the bath water. She proved him to be wrong. At the age of three months, Ms. Powell had either polio or a stroke, which caused her left side to be contracted and her speech impaired. She was still able to 'graduate'? the 8th grade at Henry Johnson School. She spent months at St. Judes Hospital during several stays where they tried to correct her ankle and foot so she could walk. Ms. Powell attended several churches during her wonderful life and was most recently a member of Boones Creek Baptist Church. Pastor Ken Kyker and his wife Carol, Deacon Bill Riddle and his wife Donna, and the members of her Sunday School Class gave her so much love and friendship. Virginia was a meticulous homemaker and excellent cook. Despite her physical disabilities she worked extremely hard at housekeeping and ironing jobs in order to provide for her family. There was not anything she could not do if she set her mind to it. She had an adventuresome spirit and she loved to travel. She was able to visit many places while her daughter served in the U.S. Army. She was very pleased to have spent six months in Hawaii when her grandson, Daniel, was born. Ms. Powell was not supposed to be able to bear children due to her disability, but she again proved her doctors wrong. Left to mourn her passing is: her only child, Deborah Costello; son-in-law, Patrick Costello III; grandson, Daniel Holtz; step grandchildren, Patrick Costello IV, Krystal (David) Frase, and Nick (Lisa) Costello; several great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Ms. Powell is preceded in death by her parents, her siblings, and the father of her daughter, Harmon J. (HJ) Hyder in 1979. Debbie and Pat Costello would like to sincerely thank the staff at Four Oaks Nursing Home. They provided superb care for Ms. Powell and she truly loved her caregivers and roommate, Ms. Ruth Goddard. We would also like to thank the staff of CARIS Hospice Services. They were able to provide much needed prayer, comfort, and care during the last week of her life. Graveside services will be held at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, December 24, 2013 in the Monte Vista Memorial Park with Pastor Ken Kyker providing prayers and comfort. Minister, family, and friends are requested to meet at the cemetery for those services.