Helena Sangaree Powers

Helena Sangaree Powers, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and longtime Lake City resident, passed away Thursday, September 17, 2026, from complications following hip surgery. She was 110 years old.

Born February 9, 1916, in Apalachicola, Florida, Helena later made Lake City her home, where she lived beginning in 1938 and witnessed more than a century of remarkable change. Among her treasured memories was attending President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961, where she met the president and remembered dancing alongside President Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy during the inaugural festivities.

In February, Helena celebrated her 110th birthday, an exceptional milestone in a remarkable life. Yet despite the history she witnessed and the remarkable number of years she was given, Helena’s greatest joy and legacy was always her family.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ralph Masten Powers.

Helena is survived by her son, Frank Powers; granddaughters, Allison Powers, Jessica Powers Johnson and Aspen Hopkins; and great-grandchildren, Pearce Powers, Carson Powers, Claire Walsh, Madeleine Johnson and Everett Johnson.

For 110 years, Helena witnessed the world change around her, but the things she valued most remained constant: family, love, resilience and home.

The family will receive friends for visitation on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Gateway-Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 3596 South Highway 441, Lake City, Florida.

A funeral service celebrating Helena’s long and meaningful life will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 12:00 noon at First Methodist Church of Lake City, 973 S. Marion Avenue, Lake City, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to First Methodist Church of Lake City in Helena’s memory.