Obituary of Robert G. Powers

Robert G. Powers, better known as Bob to most people, and Bobby to his loved ones, passed away suddenly on April 10, 2017 at home. He was a resident of Duxbury for 31 years, but he was still so very proud of his Brooklyn, New York origins. Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Marianne Bender-Powers; his sister Patricia Griffin and niece Elizabeth Griffin, both of Syosset, NY; his nephew James Griffin and his wife Elizabeth of Bethpage, NY; mother-in-law Angela Bender of Tamarac, FL; sister-in-law Joan deVelder, of Somerset, NJ; nephew David deVelder and wife Amanda of Hillsborough, NJ; niece Rebecca Fein and husband Sid of Canton, GA; niece Melissa Lewis and husband Sean, and niece Emily Warner of Clearwater, FL. He is also survived by eleven great nieces and nephews, several cousins, beloved friends (especially his high-school buddy, John) and his two shelter-rescue cats, Cloud and Starr. Bob was the sole practitioner of Powers Financial Services, providing financial consulting to various clients in a variety of professions throughout his career. He graduated from Bryant College in Rhode Island, worked in the corporate world for several years, then went on to establish his own practice. He earned an MBA from Babson College, as well as various professional certifications such as CFP (Certified Financial Planner). Bob's greatest gratification from his work came from helping people feel secure about their finances. One of Bob's greatest assets was his wonderful sense of humor. He was witty, clever, irreverent and just joyously funny! Bob loved to travel, and this past summer he and his wife celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary by spending a week in London, and taking a two-week cruise to Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, and Russia. He spoke of it as "the trip of a lifetime." In his 42 years of living in MA, Bob joined the ranks of the die-hard sports fans of Boston. He was an avid fan of the New England Patriots and he reveled in their success. The Red Sox brought him great enjoyment with their World Series Wins, and he was no stranger to the games of The Celtics and The Bruins. Bob was also a great fan of NASCAR. One of the most satisfying periods of Bob's life was when he and his wife were scuba diving. He was a natural-born diver, and he loved being in the water. He and his wife did several wreck dives where they explored ships that had been sunk for decades. The highlight of their diving adventures was a shark dive in The Bahamas when they were "up close and personal" with Caribbean Black-tipped Sharks. Bob had a very adventurous spirit. It was Bob's love of the water and scuba diving that led him to The Eternal Reef as a choice for burial. The Eternal Reef project places the cremated remains of an individual into specially designed molds that are placed into the ocean to create a reef for plants and sea life. Our ocean reefs are in need of replenishment in various areas, and it was Bob's wish to be a part of that creation of new life. For the past two years, Bob was a joyful Snowbird who spent the winters in The Villages, FL, where he planned to move to enjoy his older years. Private arrangements are being made by the family through Shepherd Funeral and Cremation Service in Kingston, MA. Any donations in his memory can be directed to either eternalreefs.com or the Standish Humane Society (Cat Shelter) in Duxbury, MA.