Mattie Powell

Mattie Band (Ray) Powell, age 89, passed away on Monday September 4, 2017 at Pleasant Ridge Manor.  She was born, July 22, 1928, to the union of the late Larry and Lue Jessie Ray, in Spartansburg, South Carolina. The family moved to Pittsburgh in 1937 when she was 9 years old.

Mattie met her lifelong best friend Helen Richardson Amos when she 1st moved to Pittsburgh who befriended her and would walk this shy little girl to Fineview Elementary School every day. They grew up together and became godmothers to each other's child. They were inseparable through their teens, adult and senior years.

She was a member of and raised in the Metropolitan Baptist Church and was baptized under the Pastorate of Rev. J. W. Parrish - starting at age 9 she faithfully attended her church and participated in church activities until her health failed in 2016.  She was on the Young Women's Usher Board and helped to organize her mother's annual Family and Friends Day and she supported varied projects in the church.

Mattie graduated from Allegheny High School.  She worked at Penn Trousers before starting her career at W. T. Grants where she was a window dresser for 17 years.  She went on to become one of the top children's department sales associates at SAKS 5th Avenue where she worked for 19 years.

Mattie was married to James Alfred Powell and from that union was born Yvonne Maxine (Powell) Atkinson  She loved supporting her daughter Yvonne through her years in church,  11 years in the Girl Scouts, her college years, marriage and volunteered at Yvonne's jobs in varied Pittsburgh early childhood centers and the Children's Museum Pittsburgh. 

Mattie was an excellent care provider for her mother, Lue Jessie Ray who lived to be 97.  She then became the best and most dedicated mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and godmother a child could have.  Additionally, Mattie dearly loved her life-long adopted family and friends who spent lots of time, holidays, laughter, and adventures together during the good, sad and bad times in their lives, they included: Helen Amos, Marye Burton, Martina Corbin, William "Butch", Charlene and Ashley Burton, Theodore Thomas, Emelda Brown (Reverend James Brown Jr.), the Mary Pickett family, along with the Metropolitan Church members.

For many years Mattie was a member of The Emanon Chapter of the Harriet Tubman Guild Inc. She also enjoyed sewing, fashion and volunteering at the Children's Museum Pittsburgh for 11 years where she was greatly loved by staff and visitors.

In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by a great grandson Darren Jason Atkinson.

Mattie leaves to cherish her memory her only daughter: Yvonne Maxine Atkinson, her son-in-law: Harold David Atkinson, her only grandson: Darren Michael Atkinson (Keyia Atkinson-wife) and great granddaughter: Samarra Arianna Atkinson-Carter, her step great grandsons: Darius and Demetrius Terry, godson: Theodore Thomas and loving cousins on both sides of her family and in-laws in Pittsburgh, Maryland, Arizona, South Carolina and Texas.

Friends are invited to call on the family on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at the Burton Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 602 West 10^th Street, Erie, PA 16502 from 12 p.m. until time of service there at 2 p.m.  Private inurnment at Whispering Pines Cremation Garden.

Memorials may be made to Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.