Rachel Mae Powell Ervin

Rachel Mae Powell Ervin was born Dec 3, 1945 in Rocky Mount, NC at Parkview hospital. She passed away April 13, 2023 at Duke Hospital in Durham, NC after an extended illness. She was the beloved daughter of the late Andrew Samuel Powell and Annie Mae Harrell Powell of Rocky Mount, NC. Rachel is survived by her husband of 57 years, James Albert Ervin, Sr. of Nashville, NC, and two sons, James Albert Ervin, Jr. & John David Ervin. She is survived by her brother Royce Lynwood Powell, wife Janelle Powell, brother John David “JD” Powell, wife Mary Lou Powell, and her sister-in-law Mary Alice Ervin Walston. Rachel is survived by beloved nieces & nephews; Roy Powell, Tonya Bowen, Andy Powell, Renee Powell, Nina Peterson, Taft Ervin & Dustin Walston. Rachel was blessed with numerous beloved cousins, great nieces, great nephews, and dear friends; all of whom brought great joy to her life. Though Rachel had only two biological children, her heart brought many into the circle of love she created, including several sons & daughters of her heart, including Andrew Evans, Bonita Summerlin and two God-daughters, Raven Summerlin and Erica Summerlin Rivera. Rachel graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1964 and went on to study Business Management at East Carolina University. She held a number of secretarial and business position, finally working as Vice President in charge of Media with Lewis Advertising of Rocky Mount. During her nearly 40-year career in advertising, Rachel was known nationally for her leadership in the American Advertising Federation. Rachel believed deeply in education and served a term on the Rocky Mount School Board of Education. An avid reader, she was known for reading every book in her elementary and middle school libraries. She instilled this love of reading in her children. After retirement she read for the Library for the Blind as well as assisting at local elementary schools to encourage beginning readers. She typically read three or more books per week for pleasure. Her faith was an important part of her life, as any who knew her could attest. She served on a number of committees including WMU during her years of attending Sharpsburg Baptist Church. For nearly the last decade, she has been a member of Nashville Baptist Church in Nashville, NC, where she sang in the choir. Rachel was very active in numerous civic organizations, primarily the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary. She served as the NC State-wide chaplain for the Women’s Auxiliary. She was honored as the National Chaplain of the year for her leadership in the Women’s Auxiliary Chaplain program. She was also very active in promoting the Girl’s State Leadership program, raising funds and awarding scholarships to many dozens of young women from the Rocky Mount and Wilson area. For the last dozen years, Rachel supported the Nashville Interclub Council by managing rentals and oversight of the Nashville Community Center. A memorial service to honor the life and love that Rachel shared with her family, friends, and community will be held on May 13, 2023 at Nashville Baptist Church, 512 East Washington Street, Nashville, NC. Visitation with the family will be held at 3pm with the Memorial Service beginning at 4pm. The family repast and reception will follow the service in the Fellowship Hall of the church.

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Rachel Mae Powell Ervin

December 3, 1945 - April 13, 2023