Westborough – John Edward Odell Jr., 77, a long time resident of Westborough and West Hyannisport, passed away Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 at the MetroWest Medical Center in Natick.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy A. (Bertone) Odell, and his two daughters, Jennifer Odell, husband Dr. Robert Nossa and their children, Alec John and Kathryn Cecelia of Montclair. N.J., and Jacqueline Odell – Hermsen, husband Dr. Jerome Hermsen and their sons, Peter John and William Michael of Gloucester.
Born in Medford, he the son of the late John and Katherine (O”Neil) Odell of Everett and the nephew of William Odell, past Potentate of Aleppo Temple of Shriners Boston. He received a B.S. from Boston College and his MBA from Babson College. He served as a naval officer aboard the USS Loeser and USS Oberg during the Lebanon Crisis.
Mr. Odell was initially employed by the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich. on the staff of Lee Iacocca and Robert McNamara. He was then a 33-year employee of the Wyman-Gordon Company. In his tenure at Wyman Gordon, he served in multiple capacities, but most recently held the title of Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing and served as a corporate officer.
He worked on many special projects during his career at Wyman-Gordon. He directed the super-secret SR – 71 program and administered technical and marketing assistance agreements with SNECMA in France, an agreement that provided the company with its first significant international market program.
Mr. Odell was active in semi-pro sports in the Boston area, a former 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus in Everett, former member of the American Management Association and Forging Industry Association, past member of the Worcester Club, and a long-term volunteer for SCORE. He was a longtime artist, loved spending time on Cape Cod and was an avid sports fan.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, Oct. 6, at 10:30 a.m., in St. Luke the Evangelist Church. 70 West Main St., Westborough. Burial, with military honors, will be private in the VA National Cemetery of Bourne. Calling hours are Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Rand-Harper-Pickering Westborough Funeral Home, 62 West Main St., Westborough.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.
