In Honor of Walter B. Power III

Former City of Salem Planning Board Chairman, Walter "Tip" B. Power III, age 77, of Salem died in North Shore Medical Center Friday morning after a long illness. He and his wife, Sandra (Sherman) Power would have
celebrated 53 years of marriage in July.

Born and raised in Marblehead, the son of the late Walter Brown Power,
Jr., and Margaret (Waller) Power, he was graduated from Marblehead
High School in the Class of 1950. He received a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1955 and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He went on to earn his M.B.A. at Northeastern University. As a sales engineer he covered New England for many years, and later founded Power Sales Group, Inc., a
manufacturers' representative company in Peabody servicing New England utilities. On selling his company in 2002, he went on to counsel and mentor start-up businesses and entrepreneurs for the SBDC at the Salem State College Enterprise Center.

He served since 1975, by successive mayoral appointments, on the Salem Planning Board including over 30 years as its chairman. In 2007, he was honored by the City for his long service to the Planning Board at a retirement "Roast" party, and he received the Outstanding Planning Award/Citizen Planner from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association. He was actively involved in many other City boards and commissions, including the Salem Citizens for Public Schools, the Salem School Building Commission overseeing the planning and construction of the high school, the Winter Island Commission, and the Salem Harbor Commission. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge in Marblehead. To those who knew him, Walter exemplified personal integrity and was commonly cited for his civility and fairness in
dealing with others. His dedication to his community was absolute and unwavering and gave his life great purpose.

His side interests included vegetable gardening, which produced champion tomatoes, very special Italian pole beans, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus. He made grape jelly every fall from his own grapes and delighted in giving it out as gifts. As an amateur arborist he loved to plant trees, prune, and discuss pruning and could often be seen hanging precariously from his trees trying to get to that one last branch just beyond
reach. His other loves were the stock market and wines, both of which required a great deal of study and in the case of the latter, tasting. He could expound widely on both. He greatly enjoyed occasional weekends at the family camp in Maine with the children, and later the grandchildren. At camp he was prone to starting small projects, which evolved into large projects involving much planning, acquisition of new tools that might never be used again, and occasionally language from which the grandchildren had to be shielded.

In addition to his wife he is survived by four children, Walter "Topper" B. Power IV of Amsterdam, Sherman Douglas Power and his wife Christine of Naperville, IL, Matthew Eli Power of Salem and Elizabeth "Betsy" Atwood Power of Seattle, WA; a brother James Peyton Power of Florida and Maine; five grandchildren, Wm. Chase, Caroline, Margaret, Jetson and Rocket Power; also nephews Gregg and Eric Fitzgerald of Newton and nieces Tara Gilbert of Eliot, ME, and Laurel Perry and Peyton Dixey of Marblehead.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, April 27th, at 3:00 P.M. in the Tabernacle Church, 50 Washington Street, Salem. At the family's request there are no visiting hours. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be made in Mr. Power's memory to the Walter Brown Power Scholarship Fund, c/o Salem High School, 77 Wilson Road, Salem, MA 01970, to assist Salem students attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute OR the Explorers LLI (Lifelong Learning Institute), 10 Federal St, Suite 10, Salem, MA 01970. For online guest book or additional information please visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com or call (978) 744-0497.