A Whidbey resident since 1994, John Powell died on April 22. Proprietor of Langley Tea Room & Sushi Shop with his wife Pat since 1996, John achieved rock star status in Langley. Many were drawn to John, and his friends on Whidbey Island were a source of pleasure and inspiration. He was loved and he returned that love in kind.

John was born in Santa Monica, Calif. in 1965. His parents, Diane and Larry Powell, fostered and encouraged his early aptitude for art, along with his interest in books, animals, farming and gardening. John and Pat moved to San Francisco in 1988. They married there in 1991, and John earned, cum laude, a bachelor of fine arts degree from San Francisco State University in the same year. He was fortunate to have formed friendships in San Francisco that enriched and enlivened the rest of his life. After a few years in Seattle, John and Pat sought and found a crappy house on acreage here on the island and set about transforming it into a pretty terrific place on this planet.

A memorial will be held at Bayview Hall on Friday, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Music and refreshments will accompany John’s first retrospective art show. Friends and the curious are invited. A silent auction will follow for selected pieces. Arrangements for internment of John’s ashes at Langley Cemetery are pending. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the Langley branch of Sno-Isle Library. John Powell was a scholar and a gentleman and he would want you to remember happiness.