Lawrence C. O’Dell, age 88, of Brownstown, passed away Monday, April 6, in St. Anthony’s Hospital in Effingham. Celebration of Life services for 88 year-old Lawrence C. O’Dell will be Saturday, April 11, at 11:00 a.m., in the First Christian Church in Brownstown. Burial will be in the Pilcher Cemetery in rural Brownstown with military honors by the St. Peter American Legion Post #380 and Brownstown VFW Post #9770. Friends may call Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the Brownstown First Christian Church or the donor’s choice. The Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. O’Dell was born October 26, 1926 in DuQuion, IL, the son of Floyd D. and Fern Marie Fulton O’Dell. Lawrence started mechanic work in 1943. He raced stockcars all across Illinois and Missouri from 1949 to 1950. From 1952 – 1954 he built wheel balance and alignment equipment in Highland, IL. In 1963 he purchased his father’s automotive repair shop, O’Dell’s Garage in Brownstown and he instructed wheel balance and alignment in thirty states for the May Co. Lawrence retired and closed his automotive repair business in 1993. Lawrence was a member of the First Christian Church in Brownstown, St. Peter American Legion Post #380, was a member of the Brownstown Volunteer Fire Dept. for over 30 years and had been a Cub Scout master, assistant Scout master and Explorer leader. He was a WWII Army veteran. Lawrence married Marjorie Pauline Peters on February 11, 1945 at the First Christian Church in Brownstown and she preceded him in death on May 17, 2006.
Survivors include his sons Larry (Judy) O’Dell of Greenville, IL and Terry (Susan) O’Dell of Irvington, IL; five grandchildren; thirteen great grandchildren; two great great grandchildren and one brother Morris O’Dell of Iola, KS.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, son Jake, great great grandson Colby Allan O’Dell and one brother Bernard O’Dell.
