Alma Powell dies at age 86

Alma Johnson Powell, the wife of the late Secretary of State Colin Powell, has died. She was 86.
Her July 28 death in Alexandria, Va. was confirmed by the former diplomat’s chief of staff and family spokesperson Peggy Cifrino.
“(Powell) was the grounding force of our family,” the couple’s three children, Michael, Linda and Annemarie, said in a statement provided to CNN. “During childhoods marked by constant moving to new homes, we always felt secure, because home was wherever she stood. She was an exemplary role model for us and for the world. She served our country, alongside our father, with intelligence and grace. We will miss her terribly but take comfort in the fact that she had a life so well-lived and is reunited with our father.”
The Powells were married for nearly 60 years, and Alma was by her husband’s side during his remarkable and historic military career. The two met on a blind date in 1961 shortly before he was deployed to Vietnam as a military adviser, and he later rose to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.