Steve Powell

Steven Arthur Powell was born on May 6, 1953 to Arthur and Geneva (Lamp) Powell in Pipestone, Minnesota. Growing up Steve attended the Pipestone Central High School, graduating in 1971. From a young age, Steve loved being surrounded by cars. He had a passion for NASCAR and sprint car races - on any given Sunday you could find him at Husset’s Speedway in Brandon, South Dakota, enjoying the races. Every summer he would travel to Knoxville, Iowa to watch sprint car races at the Knoxville Raceway. At county fairs, he was always in the grandstand cheering at the tractor pulls. Steve lived for some time in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and in Brandon before settling down on the family farm in rural Pipestone. On January 2, 2003, Steve married Wanda Groenewold, whom he lovingly referred to as ‘Suz’. Together they shared 22 years of marriage filled with laughter, love and lots of bacon and eggs. Steve passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 6, 2025 at the age of 71 years and eight months while on a work trip in Twin Falls, Idaho. 

Steve was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pipestone. He would often listen to sermons while he was trucking across the country. Steve spent most of his life on the open road, as he had over 50 years of trucking experience. He owned his own trucking business for several years, hauling boats for Bayliner and Genmar Holdings. For the past 16 years, he hauled trailers for Lloyd Bultsma out of Sioux Falls. Trucking was not just a job for Steve, it was his life. He took great pride in his work, keeping his truck meticulously clean and earning the nickname “Slow Motion” on his CB radio because he took the time to slow down and appreciate the small things in life. If anyone needed a good place to eat, Steve could tell you which mile marker or exit to take to get to the nearest restaurant from just about anywhere! When Steve wasn’t trucking, he would be spending time at the Powell Ponderosa, watching the Price Is Right with his beloved dog, Chip. Steve’s laid-back personality and his pure love for life will be missed greatly. Four days before his passing when Steve and Wanda celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary, he pulled her into a hug and whispered “Twenty-Two years Suz, we’re going to make it.” Steve’s memory will live on in those words. 

Steve is lovingly remembered by his wife, Wanda Powell of Pipestone, Minnesota; children, Jared Powell of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Kade (Mandi) Powell of Brandon, South Dakota, Matt Yonkers of Aurora, South Dakota, and Kimberly (Steven) Johnson of Aurora; siblings, Janelle (Larry) Steffen of Colman, South Dakota, Sharolyn Paige of Cape Coral, Florida, Nancy Powell of Sioux Falls, Rick (Tamara) Powell of Brandon, Jodee (Mark) Griebel of Pipestone; and seven grandchildren, Cali Powell, Chance and Cade Eide, Leland and Leia Yonkers, and Crosby and Savannah Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Geneva Powell; his daughter, Karey Powell; and his father- and mother-in-law, John and Fran Groenewold.