Phillip Wayne Odell's Obituary
Phillip Wayne “Phil” Odell, 61, died Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at his home in Fredonia.
The son of Sandra G. (Borror) and Donald Lee Odell, he was born Aug. 29,1962, in Neodesha.
Growing up on the family farm, Phil enjoyed being outdoors, fishing, trapping and hunting. Fishing became a lifelong hobby in which he found a great deal of pleasure.
He attended Fredonia schools, graduating from Fredonia High School in 1980.
In January 1981, he married Lea Ann Bryan in Altoona; they later divorced.
On July 17, 1998, he married Meredith Relph in Fredonia. Although the couple later divorced, they remarried on June 15, 2015, and she survives at their home.
Phil enjoyed traveling and cooking; the couple took several trips to Key West, Fla., as well as many shorter trips, often to try a particular restaurant they had read or heard about. At home, Phil was well-known as an excellent cook, and those skills led him to the Stockyard Restaurant last April.
In the 1980s, he worked for Evergreen Builders and A-lert. Later, Phil also worked at Bridgewood Cabinetry in Chanute and at the Wilson County Citizen as the world’s oldest pressman’s apprentice.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include his mother Sandy Odell of Fredonia; sister Jennifer (Michael) Driskill of Dell City, Okla.; brother Sean (Bonnie) Odell, of Fredonia; children, Andrew Lee (Jacqui) Odell and Ashely (R.T.) Nave both of Independence, Jill (Wyatt) Stallings of Fredonia and Stephanie Wilson of Independence; grandchildren Brylea Johnson, Bryson, Zoey, Carly and Lee Jr. Odell, Brayden Bigley and Skyler Bigley, Giovanni Esteban and Mina Lu Magdalena Cabrera-Johnson of Fredonia; nieces Samantha (Damian) Romero and Catherine Driskill of Dell City, and Dusté Odell, of Fredonia; nephews Steven (Briana) Odell and Seth Odell; aunts Anita (Bob) Crawshaw of Fredonia, Janice Baldwin of Independence; uncles Dale (Jeannie) Borror of Broken Arrow, Okla., John (Sandy) Borror of Fredonia, Nelson (Lyndia) Borror of Chanute, Ella Odell of Fredonia; brother-in-law Ross (Josie) Relph of Lenexa; sisters-in-law Mina DeBerry and Virginia Relph, both of Fredonia, and Dr. Patricia Relph Gross of Fayetteville, Ark. Also surviving are many friends and fishing buddies.
His grandparents; father Donald Odell; parents-in-law Joe and Rita Relph, and nephew-in-law Stephen K. DeBerry preceded him in death.
Phil was a member and past-president of the Fredonia Rotary Club and served on the Fredonia Housing Authority. He was also a dedicated Parrothead, having attended a number of Jimmy Buffett concerts across the United States.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Countryside Funeral Home, with Mike Myers officiating. Visitation will be Saturday from 9 a.m. until service time.
The family will gather after the funeral at the Sacred Heart Catholic Hall. A memorial has been established with the Fredonia Rotary Club’s Rotary Park Project.
Countryside Funeral Home in Fredonia is in charge of arrangements.
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