Theo James Odom, 102, died peacefully Thursday morning, September 23, 2010.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at National Heights Baptist Church, 103 Old Norton Road, Fayetteville .
Interment will follow at Westview Cemetery, Atlanta. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service.
A native of Hazlehurst , Ga. , Theo was born on November 24, 1907, a son of Theo Augustus Odom and Hattie James Odom. He was a graduate of Hazlehurst High School and attended Jacksonville Business College . After operating a service station and grocery store, he fulfilled his lifelong dream by serving for 35 years in the U.S. Postal Service.
Raised in the Methodist Church, Theo later joined the Baptist Church, in which he was ordained a deacon and also served as outreach leader, Bible school and nursery worker.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, the former Johnnie Lou Merriman, their son, Weldon Lamar Odom, and a brother, Horace Odom.
Surviving are his brother, Charles Odom (Jeanne), of Clermont, Fla.; his daughter-in-law, Helen Odom, of Fayetteville, Ga.; a grandson and a granddaughter, the Rev. John L. Odom (Emily) of Greensboro, N.C., and Dr. Joan M. Odom of Avila Beach, Calif. , two great grandchildren, Nathaniel and Elizabeth Odom, and several nephews, nieces and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to National Heights Baptist Church .
