Meet Your Neighbors Gary and Donna Powless of Raritan. Gary is employed at Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg as a correctional officer.
Donna is an R.N. Care/MDS Coordinator at Roseville Country Manor.
Gary was born in Cairo the son of the late Gerald and Maxine Powless of Tamms. He graduated from Shawnee High School at Wolf Lake in 1966.
Donna was born in Burlington, Iowa the daughter of Elsie Hartman and the late Paul Hartman of Stronghurst. She graduated from Stronghurst High School in 1970.
They are parents of Megan (Kevin) Frye, Hannah City; Clinton (Jennie) Powless, Cary; and Erica Powless, Normal.
They are the grandparents of Taylor Powless, Clinton and Jennie's daughter, born November 2, 2005.
They were married July 1, 1972, at Alexander Free Will Baptist Church in Thebes. They lived in the Roanoke/Eureka area until returning to Raritan in 1979.
Gary enjoys hunting, fishing, wood and metal working. Donna enjoys knitting sewing, painting and other crafts. They also enjoy taking a two week motorcycle trip in the summer on their Harley.
The couple are members of the Raritan Baptist Church, and involved in church committees, Relay for Life, Raritan 150's, Raritan Firemen Auxiliary, Carthage Gun Club, Raritan Village Board and the Purple Misfits.
One of their most memorable experiences in Raritan was when the tornado came through Raritan and lifted their house off its foundation. Gary and the kids had fled to the basement. Donna was on her way home from Macomb and was terrified at seeing the awful damage it had done to the neighbors and then to their own two story structure whose roof was completely gone. It is a day they and the Raritan community will never forget.