Ralph Powell, who worked many years at the Motor Vehicle Bureau on St. John, died Friday in Florida. He was in his late 50s.
He retired in December 2007.
“He was a good guy. We loved him very much,” said Motor Vehicle employee Kenya Francis, who called him a friend and father figure.
“But he had his moments,” she said.
In a 2006 interview with the Source, Powell addressed his reputation as being difficult when he inspected vehicles.
"People could make you cranky," he said in the interview. Powell said in the interview that he gets annoyed because people sometimes don’t want to "meet the requirements" when getting their vehicles inspected.
The St. John-born Powell returned to the U.S. Virgin Islands after spending more than four years in the U.S. Army. He said he traveled far and wide, with stints in Panama, Saigon, Bangkok and Germany.
After attending Julius E. Sprauve School, he went on to graduate from Charlotte Amalie High School. He then left the territory to study automotive technology at Lincoln Tech in Union, N.J.
Five years on St. Thomas at the Public Works and Finance Departments followed his Army career.
Powell was the father of three, Kishna, Tanisha and Tanja Powell.
Funeral arrangements are pending with Davis Funeral Home on St. Thomas.
