ROBINSON, Powell Jr.

Of Marshfield, MA, died peacefully on April 8, just as the moon had finished its eclipse of the sun. He was 98 years old.

Powell was born on July 7,1925 in Glens Falls, NY to Ruth and Powell Robinson. He was the eldest of two siblings, Katherine Robinson McCabe and Charles Robinson. Powell grew up in Morristown, NJ. His youth, as was the case for so many, was shortened by the arrival of World War II and at age 18, he volunteered for the air force and became a Ball Turret Gunner, flying on B24’s. In November of 1944, his plane was shot down and he and the crew had to parachute out, landing behind enemy lines in what was then Yugoslavia. He was stuck in this territory for over 6 weeks, endured unthinkable living conditions and witnessed the horrors of war, which he and his generation rarely discuss or revisit.

Powell returned to the states in the spring of 1945 and was stationed in Texas for the remaining months of the war. The following year, he married Margaret Louise Hewitt. He completed college on the GI Bill, graduating from Boston University and then, went on to a successful career at the Shawmut Bank, where he rose to be Vice President of lending operations. He moved his young family to Wellesley, MA and they spent their summers in the Duxbury/Marshfield area.

After a long banking career, Powell held many volunteer positions largely in the area of finance. He was on the board and treasurer of the Duxbury Yacht Club and was also treasurer and on the board of Plymouth Plantation. He helped lead Duxbury Bay Maritime School during its formative years. He established financial systems and controls, which were fundamentally important to allowing DBMS to grow and thrive. He was a longtime trustee at Crossroads for Kids and spent decades on the board of Dexter School.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Margaret Hewitt Robinson; and his sons, Dwight Parker Robinson and Colby Hewitt Robinson. He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Robinson and her husband, Richard Nestle of Wayland, MA, his son, Powell Robinson, III and his wife, Sarah Robinson of South Salem, NY; and his three grandchildren, Lily Parker Robinson, Powell Robinson, IV and Charlotte Lloyd Robinson.

A Memorial Service will be held at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, on Duxbury Bay, on Saturday, May 4, from 1 to 4pm. Contributions in Powell’s memory can be made to DBMS, Crossroads and to Plimoth Patuxet Museums.

For more information and online guestbook, go to www.downingchapel. com