Obituary of Juliana Powch
Juliana Powch, beloved mother, grandmother (“Abi”), and widow, passed peacefully on April 13, 2026 at Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford CT at the age of 90, surrounded by family at her bedside and on livestream.
Juliana was a force of nature—spirited, smart, dignified and determined; loving, generous, and peaceful. She was born on August 2, 1935, to Maria (Wagner) and Johan Mittendrein, well respected farmers of Markt Hartmannsdorf, Austria. She was the youngest of 12 children. Hard work and perseverance were part of her everyday life but so was fun and adventure. At age 16, inspired by an ad in the church bulletin, Juliana left the Mittendrein home and ventured to Switzerland to learn French cooking and help the nuns who cared for tuberculosis patients. When she returned–aspiring for more than a quiet life on the farm–she moved to the “big city” Graz, where she completed Handelschule and worked for an attorney and for Die Post. One day while on her usual lunch break at a nearby park, a handsome engineering student from Ukraine (Michael Powch) sat down on the bench next to her. The stars aligned and before long they fell in love and married. Shortly after, their first child, Irene, was born.
All the while, the American Dream tugged at them. Michael set off first and established himself in NYC and then Juliana followed with baby in tow. Ten months later, baby two (Oksana) was born. Juliana stayed home while the girls were young, throwing herself into learning English and being a great wife and mother. She lovingly prepared home cooked meals, baked delicious sweets, kept the house immaculate, and used her creativity to sew, knit and embroider. Still, she found time to play games with her girls (although she never let them win!) and even climbed trees.
In later years, after moving from NYC to Glen Spey, NY, Juliana returned to work. She was extremely bright and with a little studying and a bit of determination she achieved whatever she set her mind to; first she landed a job with the U.S. Census, then she aced the state bookkeeping exam to take a job with the town’s Mayor. She went on to score in the highest percentile on exams for her real estate and broker’s licenses. Juliana always took great pride in working hard to turn renters into homeowners, and the care and generosity she showed her clients earned her the nickname “the social worker of Glen Spey.”
In 2011, after her husband passed away, Juliana moved to Glastonbury, CT to be closer to family. Although Alzheimer’s progressively took away her short-term memory, remarkedly, Juliana still played chess and scrabble, occasionally beating her children and grandchildren, and she was the longest (by years) participant in her memory care circle group and adult daycare. In her final days she could still sing her favorite childhood song and recite Austrian poetry with gusto. And always she was peaceful. When asked how she was feeling she would answer “I cannot complain.” And so, peacefully, she slipped into her next adventure where we know she is dancing with her husband, parents, siblings and friends. Abi, we love you and we miss you!
Juliana is survived by her two daughters, Irene Powch of Portland, Oregon and Oksana Charla of Glastonbury, Connecticut; her cherished grandchildren Katie Charla (Newtown, CT), Mikey Charla (Boston, MA) and Micah Powch (Portland, OR), and she is predeceased by her beloved husband Michael Powch and son-in-law Thomas Charla. Our family is forever grateful to all the wonderful staff and volunteers from Glastonbury’s Friendship Circle Program and Rocky Hill’s Noble Care Adult Care who provided Juliana structure, social stimulation, novelty and fun up until the last weeks of her life.
Mass of Christian burial will be on Friday May 1st at 10:00 AM at Saint Dunstan Parish, 1345 Manchester Road, Glastonbury, CT. Burial will be on Saturday May 2nd at 10:30 at Glen Spey Cemetery, 605 Hollow Road, Glen Spey, NY.
Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Juliana to The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund at: https://curealz.org/giving/in-memory/