Dr. Colin Powell

Dr. Colin Powell

M.B., F.R.C.P. (Lond, Edin et Glas)

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dr. Colin Powell on October 16, 2024 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. To the very end he was a teacher, a believer, and a kind man. He died at home surrounded by love; he was at peace. 

Colin will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his wife Ann; his daughters from his marriage with Valerie, Victoria (Kevin) of St. Cloud, Minnesota and Rebekah of Halifax, Nova Scotia; his granddaughter Caroline of Madison, Wisconsin, along with extended family members, friends, former colleagues, medical students and residents he felt privileged to teach over his 50 years as a clinician, professor of medicine, and mentor.

Colin was born in Manor Park, London, England to Doris Mallows and Benjamin Powell on October 6, 1942 during the height of WWII. Colin, as an only child, was treasured by his beloved Aunty “Fush” and his Granny.  

He began his medical studies when 17 at Charing Cross Hospital, University of London and pursued training in Internal Medicine at Oxford and Glasgow and then geriatric medicine in Glasgow with Sir William Ferguson Anderson and Dr. Bernard Issacs, two early giants of geriatrics. His inspirations for choosing to become a geriatrician were his devotion to his grandmother, his medical role models, and his passion to improve the care for the older person across the spectrum of health and social care both in the U.K. and Canada (Winnipeg, Halifax, Calgary).

His published research interests included the detection of unreported disability in old age, aspects of aphasia, depression and chemical dependency in old people, removal of physical restraints, and the delivery of health care to frail seniors. He served as President and as a member of boards of various societies including the Alzheimer Society, the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging and the Canadian Association on Gerontology. He received a number of awards in recognition of his contributions including the 2002 Distinguished Service Award (Canadian Geriatrics Society) and the 2006 Marjory Warren Lecturer (British Geriatrics Society).

Enthusiasm, curiosity, and generosity describe his way of being in the world. He was passionate about reading and pursing knowledge on every subject imaginable: theology, history, medicine, poetry, detective novels, political science, and philosophy. He even served as a magistrate in the city of Liverpool. He was a rugby player, a race walker, and a cello player. He loved a good debate and would challenge your assumptions. He was very much a provocateur with his dry English delivery.

His humility and grace were defined by his Anglican faith. His love and pride in his daughters, two strong women, brought him great joy and profound gratitude to their mother Valerie. As a father and the founding and only member of SPANA (The Society for the Protection of the Adverb in North America), he loved grammar, valued the apostrophe and encouraged his daughters, at length, to use both correctly. He also loved holding his daughters’ hands.

Over the last ten years of his journey from “being a person with answers to a person with questions”, from physician to patient, he once again humbly, exquisitely showed us in all his encounters what dignity and courage looks like. We give thanks for all the healthcare caregivers and especially Suella, Miranda, Anenne, and Martha who supported and sustained Ann and Colin through these last five years. Every day they were heartened by Colin’s beautiful smile. He was much loved.

An Anglican service for Colin will be held at Grace Anglican Church (1903 – 19 Avenue NW, Calgary, Alberta) on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 1:00 PM. We welcome your presence at the service and reception that will follow.  For those who wish, a donation may be made to the Alzheimer Society, or, as something Colin would say – buy yourself a good book and get stuck in!

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dr. Colin Powell, please visit our floral store.