Virgil Del Powell, 69, of Waterloo, Iowa passed away on October 23, 2021, after a year long battle with cancer. He was born April 21, 1952 in Waterloo, Iowa the son of John (Jack) and Beverly Powell.

Virgil was employed by Waterloo Fire Rescue at the age of 21. He was certified as an EMT and in August of 1982 became one of the first paramedics for the City of Waterloo. Virgil continued his career and pursued promotions beginning with Paramedic to Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain and his final promotion was to Battalion Chief in September 2003. He retired from Waterloo Fire Rescue in April 2007.

Through his work as a paramedic he met Bette in the Emergency Department where she was working as a nurse. They married on September 16, 1978. They began their life together in Waterloo and had two daughters, Jennifer and Stephanie. Virgil dedicated his life to building a strong foundation for his family. His pride and joy was his wife, daughters and throughout life continued that commitment with his grandchildren. He had a passion for the outdoors and sharing those interests with his family.

You could often find Virgil fly fishing trout streams in Northeast Iowa or in his boat on the beautiful Chippewa Flowage in Wisconsin. Virgil also had a passion for hunting upland birds and pheasant. He also spent hours landscaping and working in his gardens. He was always up for a new adventure and would spend hours reading and researching new projects. He enjoyed teaching others and sharing his knowledge.

Virgil had a personality that was contagious to others. It was obvious in the number of friendships he developed over the years. He made connections easily and was often seen as a role model and sought out by others for advice. Virgil was loved by many and will truly be missed.

Survived by his daughters Jennifer (Eric) Schmudlach of Jesup, Iowa, Stephanie (Nathan) Cherry of Jesup, Iowa and Sarah (Allen) Brown of Rogers, Arkansas and his grandchildren, Emry Schmudlach, Kenley Schmudlach, Kalli Schmudlach, Gavin Cherry, Rylee Cherry and Ryder Cherry, Austin Brown and Justin Brown and great grandson, Beaux Brown. Preceded in death by his parents, John and Beverly Powell, sister, Kathy Kezar, brothers, Jack Powell, Rick Powell and Skip Powell, Cousin Scott Powell, Uncle Jim Powell, In-laws Cal and Iris Harms, Sister in Law, Diane Harms.