Linda S. (Sullivan) Powers

Linda Ann Sullivan Powers passed away unexpectedly at her home on Black Rock Road on July 17, 2021, just nine days before her 74th birthday.
Linda was born on July 26, 1947 to Margaret and Joseph Sullivan of Wellesley, Mass where she grew up with her siblings Michael, Mary Jane, and Thomas. As a young child she contracted polio and survived, although it turned out to have some physical impact later in her life. She attended Bates elementary and Wellesley High School where she played field hockey and thrived in a strong academic program that nurtured her curiosity about languages, cultures, and the workings of the world. She graduated from Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in 1969 as a Russian language major.
In June 1969, Linda married the love of her life, Lewis (Jerry) Powers. They lived in Hartford until 1972, when they moved to the Westminster School in Simsbury, CT where Jerry taught art while Linda, having earned her master’s degree in teaching, taught first grade in Windsor Locks. As a social person she thrived in the positive community atmosphere of Westminster. Soon Linda and Jerry had two sons, Lewis (Jay) and Sam, and she stopped teaching to focus on being a mother. She never lost contact with teaching however, serving as Campfire and Cub Scout Den mother and Sunday School teacher. She later returned to the classroom as a wonderfully creative volunteer in Simsbury and as a long-term substitute on Block Island.
While raising Jay and Sam, she also became a dedicated wrestling-and-soccer-mom, (as well as an exceptional tailgater). Linda took great joy in people and served as a second mother to countless soccer and wrestling teammates, Westminster and Yale students, and West Point Cadets.
As an exceptionally caring person she also dedicated herself to a number of causes. She was a devout Catholic who strove to make the world a better place in any way she could. She was gifted at organizing things and had an unyielding thirst for knowledge.

A great part of her love of learning was travel and the process of planning it. One of the great highlights of the family’s life was living in a small town in southern France for a year when Jerry had a sabbatical.

In 2000 Linda and Jerry moved to Block Island where they became part of another extraordinary, small community. On the island she worked at Town Hall, eventually serving as the tax collector, was treasurer of the Spring Street Gallery, and served in leadership positions at Saint Andrews.
Among her recent enthusiasms were gardening, selling jewelry at the Not New Boutique, and learning American Sign Language.

Linda was blessed with five grandchildren: Jacob, Gabriel, Caden, Egan, and Ainsley, each of whom she loved dearly. She embodied the idea of a loving wife and mother and will be dearly missed. She is survived by her husband, sons and siblings, and they are blessed by memories of her.
A funeral mass will be held on July 24 at 1 p.m. at Saint Andrew Roman Catholic Church, Block Island, RI with a reception to follow at Block Island Maritime Institute (BIMI) at 2:30. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to either Saint Andrew Roman Catholic Church or The Nature Conservancy Block Island.

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