William "Bill" Powel III

William “Bill” R. Powel, III, 86, of Union Bridge, Maryland passed away on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at home surrounded by his family, facing the morning sun rising over his beautiful rolling crop fields and beloved garden. Born January 9, 1936 in Baltimore and raised in Ellicott City, MD, he was the son of the late William R. and Alice K. Powel. He is survived by his second wife Roberta Weller and was predeceased in 2019 by his wife of 59 years, Rebecca “Becky” Powel.

Bill was a 1954 graduate of McDonogh School in Owings Mills and 1958 graduate of the University of Maryland. He was raised on and later became farm manager of Doughregan Manor, the estate and ancestral home of Charles Carroll of Carrollton in Howard County, MD. As a youth, Bill was active in 4-H dairy cattle showing and judging. In 1954 he was the high individual at the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest in Waterloo, IA. Bill was well-known as a Guernsey cattle breeder in the 1960s and 70s, exhibiting cattle at local, state, and national shows. In 1976, Bill and wife Becky bought a dairy farm in Carroll County, MD which grew into a family-owned farm corporation, Unicorn Associates, Inc, and developed a high-producing herd of Registered Holsteins before discontinuing in 2004. In 1987, Bill transitioned careers from full-time dairying to Program Manager of Carroll County’s Farmland Preservation Program. After 18 years under his leadership, Carroll County had preserved 54,000 acres of farmland, at the time ranking the county fifth in the nation for acreage preserved by conservation easements. He was particularly proud of the Critical Farms program he initiated that assisted young farmers in their ability to purchase and preserve farmland for productive farming operation. In 2001, the Carroll County Commissioners recognized Bill for his exceptional service to the citizens of Carroll County for his work in farmland preservation. In addition to holding leadership roles in many local and state agricultural organizations, Bill served as a Trustee of the Maryland Environmental Trust and as Secretary of the Carroll County Land Trust. He was a member of Pipe Creek Friends Meeting in Union Bridge. Bill was a kind, gentle, patient, and thoughtful man with a keen intellect, dry wit, and sharp mind until the very end.

Surviving in addition to his wife are children Virginia A. Powel, MD, Thomas W. Powel (Kirstin), Anne Powel Davis (Lena Garrison), and Nancy R. Powel, DVM; grandchildren Scott Davis (Sergio Sanguin), Sarah Davis, Elizabeth Davis, Benjamin Powel (Sara), Matthew Powel, Lilly Bay, and Laurel Bay; great-grandsons Linus William Powel and Samuel Wood Powel; and stepsons Jay Parker (Jennifer) and Tom Parker.

Bill donated his body to the MD State Anatomy Board for research and the education of medical students. A celebration of life will be held at Big Baker Chapel, McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, MD at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, 2022 with visitation starting at 1 p.m. until time of service and a reception immediately following at Westminster Conference Center, Best Western, 451 WMC Dr., Westminster. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to BridgingLife, formerly Carroll Hospice, 200 Memorial Ave, Westminster, MD 21157.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home in Westminster.