Vera Louise O'Dell
COLUMBIA — Vera Louise O’Dell died Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, at the Columbia Manor Care Center. She was 97.
She was born Dec. 5, 1913, near Polo, to William and Edith Lukens Stone.
After graduating with a degree in home economics from MU, Mrs. O’Dell moved to Detroit, where she worked for the Detroit Board of Education.
She married Boyd O’Dell in Detroit on Dec. 2, 1944. Two years later, the couple moved to Columbia where Mrs. O’Dell worked for the MU School of Home Economics. Later, she decided to leave her job in order to devote more time to her family. Mrs. O’Dell was active in the community as a volunteer and was involved in the civil rights movement during the 1950s.
Pursuing her interest in painting and ceramics, Mrs. O’Dell became a member of the Columbia Art League and visited classical art museums in Europe and Australia, as well as in the U.S.
She was also an avid supporter of MU's Museum of Art and Archaeology.
Mrs. O’Dell is survived by her husband, Boyd of Columbia; a daughter, Ann O'Dell and husband, Carl Wingo, of Columbia; a son, David and wife, Shelley, of Walnut Creek, Calif.; a brother, Lynn Stone; four grandchildren, Margaret Shannon and Barry Geibel, both of Columbia and Kelley and Nicole O’Dell, both of Walnut Creek, Calif.; and a great-grandson.
A family memorial service will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Mid-Missouri Chapter, 2400 Bluff Creek Drive, Columbia, MO 65201, or the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology, 1 Pickard Hall, Columbia, MO 65201.
Condolences can be posted at parkerfuneralservice.com.
