Valerie Lynn (Ward) Powell passed away Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Valerie was born on February 18, 1948 in Denver, Colorado to Jeanette C. Rutkowski and Roger E. Ward. She attended Taylor Elementary School, East Junior High School and graduated from Wasson High School in 1966. Valerie received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University in 1970 and her Master of Arts degree in 1972. After graduate school, she taught Sociology at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois from 1972 through 1978. She moved back to Colorado Springs and married David Powell on August 23, 1978 and divorced in September of 1979 and did not have children. After her divorce, she began working at U.S. Figure Skating in the accounting department. After five hears, she was able to move on to a number of other positions and ultimately became Director of Competitions in November 1988 where she was responsible for the conduct of the National Championships; the premier International event, Stake America; and other major domestic made for television competitions. In 1995, she became Director of International Affairs and worked extensively with the International Skating Union on the Grand Prix Series and the World Figure Skating Championships when they were held in the United States. Valerie retired in 2005 after 25+ years of service and became Treasurer of her Homeowners Association and served in this capacity from January 2006 until January of 2013. Valerie's own mementos include her childhood photograph album and two scrapbooks chronicling her career. Her twin passions are compiling her family's history and doing needlepoint and cross stitch.