d. 08 Oct 2001
LISA LAMBERTH POWELL
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia:
This article courtesy of Sandi Bateman Chestnut ('65) of Newport News, Virginia:
Victims Passionate about Diving - and Life
BY WILL JONES AND MARK BOWES, TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS, Oct 12, 2001
TRAGEDY IN BELIZE
Lisa Powell proposed to Mike Bjorson in July by sending him on a scavenger hunt that ended at a swimming pool.
She had placed a wedding band in the water and made him dive for it. He accepted.
"She was full of life, absolutely gung-ho with everything - rock climbing, scuba
diving, running, yoga.
She was into everything and good at everything," said Tony
Potter, one of Powell's close friends.
She was one of the 17 members of the Richmond Dive Club killed Monday in Belize
when Hurricane Iris capsized their boat.
She was 31, a 1988 graduate of Monacan
High School and a 1992 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.
She managed
The Toymaker of Williamsburg in Shockoe Slip.
"She had a million and one friends," said Mandy Bohanon, one of Powell's co-workers.
Powell and Potter's wife, Catherine, had been inseparable since meeting 12 years ago
as sales clerks
at a women's clothing store in the West End.
At the time of her death, Powell was living part of the time with the Potters in
Henrico County and part of the time with her mother,
Sharon Reavis, in Goochland
County. Powell also was the godmother to the Potters' 2-year-old son, Benjamin.
"God, he loved her," Catherine Potter said. "You can imagine. His godmother worked in a toy store."
Powell and Bjorson's wedding plans hadn't been finalized because he's in the Navy
and stationed in Seattle.
On Tuesday, Tony Potter called the jeweler to cancel work
on Powell's wedding ring.
She lived a rich life and is now an angel, he said.
Catherine Potter recalled how her friend loved Halloween. Powell liked outlandish
costumes and had dressed
in the past as Gene Simmons of the rock group Kiss and the
pop-star Prince. "I even glued hair on her chest."
Powell also did volunteer work for Big Brothers & Big Sisters Services and Camp Comfort.
"The thing that stands out the most is that she always was a genuinely good person," Catherine Potter said.
An outdoor memorial service for Powell is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Roslyn-The
Virginia Diocesan Center,
8727 River Road. Casual attire is welcome.
Sunday, November 18, 2001, 12:49 EST
Lisa Lamberth Powell's Positive Life
Hi Typhoons of NNHS.
Yesterday we
celebrated the life of my daughter, Lisa Lamberth Powell, who along with 19
others died last month when their dive boat was capsized in Belize after it was
hit by Hurricane Iris. This loss has devastated our family but we are looking
at the positives in her life, which were so many. She was a vibrant and dynamic
woman who enjoyed life and also made life so meaningful for many others. She
always had a positive thought for everyone, she was always brightening the room
with positive words and particularly by her actions. She amazed everyone with
her energy which she channeled towards such positive things as adopting a
"little sister", Kiosha, for the Big Sister's organization and faithfully saw
her and provided her with the good experiences of life which she would never
have had without the actions of Lisa. Lisa volunteered at Camp Comfort, a place
where bereaved children who lost a parent were consoled. Also, Lisa managed the
Toymaker of Williamsburg store in Richmond. Southern Living Magazine quoted
Lisa last December: "We get a lot of big kids (adults) in here...Christmas
would not be Christmas without toys."
Yesterday at the celebration for the lost divers it was stated that
"what we have lost cannot be measured, but what we still have (good memories and
the lives of those living) far exceeds that loss". Lisa always looked at the
positives and never allowed you to talk about the negative. What an inspiration
for us all. Make every minute of life good and meaningful for yourself and to
everyone else you know. Lisa set the standard, and I'm trying to catch her.
Forrest Powell class of 1963, Richmond, Va.
new email address dfpowell2@yahoo.com
Toy clip art courtesy of http://www.kidsdomain.com/clip/toy.html - 06/18/04