Longtime Port Orchard city councilmember Powers dies at age 98

More than a decade ago, Carolyn Powers, upon leaving her Port Orchard City Council position after 26 years, told the Kitsap Sun she wants to be remembered for always putting the public and the people first.

"How could I best serve the people? That sounds like cliché to me," said Powers in a 2013 interview. "Maybe it's respect for other people and credibility and being willing to take on any task, kind of put my shoulder to the wheel."

Powers, 98, passed away at her home at Stafford Suites in Port Orchard this month, but her legacy will be remembered by those who witnessed her years of contribution to the city, school district and the 26th Legislative District, through one term in Olympia.

"She was a great colleague," Powers' long-time colleague on the city council, John Clauson, said. "I'm gonna miss her dearly. And I really, really enjoyed all the years that we worked together."

"I was very sad to hear her passing," city council member Fred Chang said, adding that the council named one of the conference rooms in City Hall after Powers — upstairs, just outside the council chambers.

Her touch is all around the city building. The old photos of downtown Port Orchard that were framed and hung were selected by Powers and Clauson from the Sidney Museum, when the two former council members were both involved in helping design the building many years ago, Clauson recalled.

"She and I spent quite a while digging through old photos and looking at them and talking about them," Clauson recalled.

Serving in Kitsap

Powers was born in 1925 in Fort Barrancas, Florida. In 1946, she moved to Bremerton with her husband, Paul, and later relocated to South Kitsap, where Paul was raised. The two met in Alabama when Paul was in the Navy.

The Florida native worked for 25 years with the South Kitsap School District. She received her AA degree from Olympic College in 1969 and kept studying business management and education. Afterward, Powers became an Olympic College Foundation Trustee Board member for 12 years, according to an obituary.

In the mid-1960s, Powers, a Democrat, began working on campaigns, including those of U.S. Sen. Henry M. Jackson and Warren Magnuson, who served as a U.S. representative and senator. She was instrumental in the first campaign of former U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who represented the state's Sixth Congressional District from 1977 to 2012.

Paul Powers served as an elected official before Carolyn's time in the state Legislature and Port Orchard City Council. Paul served three terms as a councilman and three terms as Port Orchard mayor, for 24 years in total. His last term ended in 1982.

In 1983 and 1984, Powers served one term as a state representative and participated in four committees: transportation, economic development, environment and education. In 1987, she was appointed to fill an unexpired term at the Port Orchard City Council and then continued as a council member for 26 years, until her retirement in 2013.

Clauson said Powers was diligent in reading the information and packets and was always well-prepared for meetings. She was very interested in making Port Orchard a better place to live, he said.

"Carolyn always had questions, and it always helped bring out some of the things I had never thought of...she would ask questions about whatever was being presented to us," Clauson said.

A helpful and welcoming council member, a good listener and a great storyteller. That's how Chang described Powers. Chang also recalled her advocacy for adding more parks in the city.

"She was generally very well thought, highly thought of both by other council members and also by the public at large. I know a lot of people are just very fond of her," Chang said.

Last December, Powers was the honorable tree lighter for the city's Festival of Chimes and Lights event. That was where Clauson, for the last time, had a chance to talk to Powers. He wheeled her out of the City Hall to conduct the tree-lighting ceremony and walked back with her and talked until Powers was ready to leave. During their conversation, Powers asked questions about city affairs.

Physically, Powers was showing her age, but mentally, "she was just as sharp as she was the last day that she spent on the council," Clauson said.

"I'm gonna miss her smile. I'm gonna miss her, certainly, talk to you about what's going on in the city hall and I think it's gonna be a huge loss for the community," Clauson said.

A Celebration of Life for Powers will be held on March 11 at 1 p.m. at Newlife South Kitsap, Sidney Commons, 4885 SW Hovde Road in Port Orchard.

Kitsap Sun Archives contributed to the story.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Port Orchard city councilmember, state Rep. Carolyn Powers dies at 98