William D. Power

Decorated WWII Veteran

William D. Power, 84, beloved husband of the late Faith R. Power, died January 21 while in care at McLean of Simsbury.

 Mr Power is survived by his devoted sister, Ethyle Power of Newtown; his daughter, Hope R. Power; and daughter-in-law, Deborah Fabbri of West Medford, Mass.; his daughter, Charity Folk Girard and son-in-law, Michael A. Girard, of Simsbury; and his son, W. David Power and daughter-in-law, Helene, of Newton, Mass. Bill also leaves his seven grandchildren, Gretchen, Nora, David, Colin, John, Cecily, and Patrice; his niece, Tara Hixson and family; and nephew, Greg Power and family.

 Mr Power was raised in Bridgeport and trained as a pilot during World War II flying the B17 bomber. Shot down in 1944, he was captured and interred as a POW for 14 months at Stalag 3 in Barth, Germany. He received the Purple Heart and Air Medal in recognition of his World War II service. As a major, Bill moved his family to Oslo, Norway, where he was commanding officer of an air squadron for NATO.

 Mr Power resigned his commission in the Air Force in 1953 and worked for Remington Corporation and then Touche Ross Bailey & Smart in New York City. He was a leading advocate of computer automation for the retail industry. He championed the “one color” bar code system that is used today. He co-founded the retail consulting practice of Touche Ross and became a partner in 1966. Mr Power retired from Touch Ross in 1986, dividing his time between Fairfield and Venice, Fla., where he enjoyed golf and a very active social life with a large group of lifelong friends. The Powers traveled extensively during the more than 56 years before Faith passed away in October 2002.

 Memorial services will be private.

 Memorial donations may be made to The McLean Foundation, 75 Great Pond Road, Simsbury CT 06070 or Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown MA 02472.

The Newtown Bee        January 26, 2007