Glenn Lewis Powell Jr.

Glenn Lewis Powell Jr, 70, passed away in his home Thursday night, October 21, 2021.

Glenn was born in Argos, Indiana on December 30, 1950 to Mary and Glenn Powell Sr. He was the oldest of four children. In grade school Glenn and his family moved to sunny southern California. Glenn loved the warm weather, pretty girls, and naturally gravitated towards motorcycles. He loved a good pair of blue jeans and T-shirts. He attended high school in Fontana, California where he would make some of his lifelong friends. While working at Kaiser Steel he met his first wife, Patti. They married in 1970. He would soon go on to work for The Forestry, fighting forest fires in California. He spoke of these days with much pride and joy. A few years later he went on to become a Commercial Truck Driver, he would spend the rest of his life driving truck. He saw much of the country in an 18-wheeler and knew the highways of the United States like the back of his hand. He had been to 49 of the 50 states, only missing Alaska. He and Patti went separate ways, joking that Glenn’s love for motorcycles and parties didn’t align with Patti’s desire to be the CEO of a bank. They stayed friends over the years and still laughed at their differences.

Glenn would go on to live in southern California for most of his life. A few constants you could always count on when thinking of Glenn are Semi-Trucks, Harley Davidsons, and he’d be chasing pretty women. Glenn drove truck for nearly 50 years, and rode Harleys for even longer. Even though he loved those things, his true love in life was being a dad to his daughters: Shannon, Kayla, and Jennifer, and a papa to his grandbabies: Weston, Caleb, Stella, Merritt, and the one on the way.

In the early 2000s Glenn would move to Kansas City where his daughters Kayla and Jennifer lived. During these trying times in his life he really found Jesus Christ and accepted him as his lord and savior. He would only stay in Kansas City for a year or so before moving to Argos, Indiana to build a better life for himself, with the hopes of eventually being more involved in his daughters’ lives. He would work for one of his favorite trucking companies, Metzger Trucking. He had been working hard and saving money to someday return to Kanas City to be with his girls. In 2007 that day came, he quit his job and sold everything to move to Kansas City when his daughters asked if they could live with him. He saw this as his greatest contribution to this world; being able to raise his young girls to be strong, independent, successful women. In 2009 he would reconnect with his eldest daughter Shannon, who still lived in California. He did his best to make up for lost time and build a loving relationship with her from half -way across the country. They grew closer over the years and would talk on the phone and see each other as often as they could. One thing is certain, if you were ever around Glenn for longer than a few minutes you would hear about these girls, or his grandbabies. They were his pride and joy.

While living in Kansas City Glenn would continue to drive truck locally until the girls were grown, then he’d try on many hats, hauling a variety of loads, “Whoop Whoop, Trucking Up”. Glenn always joked that he went where the money was and found something else when he didn’t like what he was doing anymore. If you ever talked to Glenn about finding a new job, you definitely heard him say “I was looking for a job when I found this one.” He made some truly great friendships over the years while trucking in Kansas City, but nothing compares to the bonds he shared with his “Brothers” in the biker community. You could usually find him starting his Saturdays with breakfast at a local Harley dealership, then riding through some scenic backroads with his closest friends. He loved hopping on his bike and setting out for some great adventure. He was always down to ride to Catfish Charley’s or Wabash BBQ, and you better believe he’d be ordering an entire slab of ribs for himself!

When we remember Glenn, he’d want us to remember a free-spirited man, who loved life, and lived it to the fullest. He would want us to picture him with the wind in his hair, a smile on his face, and AC/DC blasting on his stereo as he rode by on his bike. He would want us to remember that he did whatever he wanted and didn’t give a damn if anyone else liked it or not. He would want us to remember his loyalty and brutal honesty. He’d want us to remember a dear friend, father, and papa who always had a story to tell and brought so much laughter to the people he was around. Let the stories live on, and the memories never fade. He will be terribly missed by many, but he would not want us to cry in sadness but smile and laugh as we remember the man he was. This man truly was and will always be a legend.

A visitation to honor Glenn will be held on Saturday, November 6, from 1-2:00 p.m., with a Celebration of Life to follow, at 2:00 p.m., both at the Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 E. 39th Street in Independence, MO. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.speakschapel.com (Arrangements: Speaks Suburban Chapel 816-373-3600).