Sara Jo Powers, 65

Sara Jo Powers, 65, passed away April 19, 2026, in Kalispell.

She was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 6, 1961, to Verne Thunker and Lorrie (Eliasson) Thunker. She was the second child of five.

When she was around 3 years old, her family moved to Iowa, and most of the time they lived in LeMars. She had many friends in school and was involved in church and the Rainbow Girls. When in Iowa, she lived close to both sets of grandparents and made many trips there to visit with them and her cousins. She was especially close to her maternal grandmother because she was the first granddaughter after three grandsons. 

By 1971, she acquired two more brothers and a sister, and after her youngest brother was born, she was like a second mother to him. 

The next town she lived in was Kalispell when she was a senior in high school. There she met two of her lifelong friends, Jeannie and Karin, and graduated from Flathead High School in 1979. She and another friend decided to move to Minneapolis, where her older brother was, and got a job. The friend came home, but she stayed. She loved the Vikings and her passion for the color purple stayed with her the rest of her life. She had a Helga Helmet that she lovingly passed on to her son Cody. In the mid '80s, she moved to Wheatland, Wyoming and that is where she met her husband, Tim Powers. They were married Aug. 12, 1989. There, they had their son, Cody. The family enjoyed going to rendezvous and camping. She worked in a nursing home and was also very involved in following Cody’s sports.

She moved to Kalispell for the second time in 2015 and became involved with many groups and met many new friends. She was very generous and loved to visit with everyone. Her favorite pastime was watching Reality TV, and we couldn’t call her on Wednesday nights. She also learned to play pinochle and was very competitive, especially if she was playing against her brothers.  

She is survived by her son, Cody and his wife, Jenni; grandchildren, Sophie, Emilia and Henry; brothers, Jody, Doug and Tony (Kelli Radies); sister, Libbie (Rich Lapp); her mother, Lorrie Thunke and many cousins, aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews, who all love her. 

Preceding her in death are her husband, Tim; father, Verne and grandparents, William and Leona Thunker and Charles and Elizabeth Eliasson. 

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for the family.