John Webster Odum, Jr., 72, of Benton, LA, passed away peacefully after battling an extended illness and went to be with his Lord and Savior on Sunday, August 11, 2024. A memorial service was held at 11:00 am on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home in Haughton, LA. Visitation began at 10:00 am, prior to the service. Interment was held at Hill Crest Memorial Park.
John, also known as Johnny by childhood friends, was a loving husband of 50 years to his wife, Myra, a wonderful dad to his daughter, Becky, and son, Jay, and a fantastic Papaw to 2 grandboys, Dayne and Brady. John always brought joy to everyone he met and had a joke to share or a funny story to bring laughter to anyone he encountered; he never met a stranger. He always had a positive attitude towards life. Despite grappling with multiple health battles over the last few years, he consistently brought joy and laughter to the nurses, doctors, and therapists as he diligently worked to recover. All his healthcare professionals enjoyed working with him and were constantly amazed by his willpower and strength to recover. John’s zest for life, humor, love for his family and friends, and infectious smile enriched the world.
He was an avid outdoorsman, his face lighting up whenever he was in nature. He always looked forward to hunting trips to Colorado, New Mexico, or West Texas with his friends. One of his favorite hunting trips was to Maine for bear hunting. When he became a grandpa, he found a new outdoor passion: cheering on his two grandsons from the side of the pitch as they played soccer. He was always happy to go on a road trip to see them play. The family always enjoyed many trips together, giving him ample time to share his stories and jokes. With his son living in Orlando for many years and two grandchildren, he found a new form of hunting: the closest bench in the shade at Disney World on the many trips there.
When he wasn’t hunting, camping, fishing, or traveling, he enjoyed working with his guns and reloading, being an amateur ham radio operator, and studying history and family genealogy. The many years of researching family genealogy led him to find an ancestor who helped him become a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
John was born on February 20, 1952, in Shreveport, LA, to John (Jay) Webster Odum, Sr. and Faye (Honey) Richardson Odum. He grew up in Mansfield, LA, where he graduated from Mansfield High School. He then attended and graduated with a degree in law enforcement from Northeast Louisiana University (ULM). After marrying Myra, the love of his life, they moved to Benton, LA, their home ever since.
He served the State of Louisiana for 21 years as a state trooper, a role he embraced with the same passion and joy he found in the outdoors, helping to protect and serve the Troop G community. While working as a state trooper, he also developed a business supporting telecommunications. He was one of the first to help install the bag cell phone in your car when they first came out and required an antenna on your vehicle. After retiring from the State Police, he took both experiences and worked in surveillance for Horseshoe Casino. As the cell phone industry took off, he moved to work for CenturyTel (Verizon Wireless) as a cell site engineer. When he decided to retire from Verizon Wireless, he became an enforcement officer with the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana. He maintained this role until 2023, when he officially retired to focus on his health.
John is preceded in death by his mother, Faye Richardson Odum; his father, John (Jay) Webster Odum, Sr.; his mother-in-law, Natalie Gates Burr; and his father-in-law, Clifton Gates.
Left to treasure his beautiful memories are his loving wife, Myra Odum, of Benton, LA; his daughter, Becky Odum Reed, and her husband, Shane Reed, and their two children, Dayne and Brady Reed, all of Benton, LA; and his son, Jay Odum, of Silver Spring, MD, and his sister-in-law, Theresa Spears, and her husband, James Spears of Greenback, TN, and two nieces, Alisha Mulkey (Henry) of Annapolis, MD and Mandi (Jason) Ledbetter of Knoxville, TN and numerous cousins.
Honoring John, pallbearers are Shane Reed, Dayne Reed, Brady Reed, Henry Mulkey, Jason Ledbetter, Steve Jayroe, and Grayson Morgan. Alan Powell, Steve Stellman, Dayton DeSoto, and Mickey Frazier serve as Honorary Pallbearers. Senior Adult Pastor Tommy Patton, Cypress Baptist Church; Pastor Danny Moffett, Believers Worship Center; and Kids Pastor Amy Hollis, Believers Worship Center, will officiate.
The family would like to thank the caregivers dedicated to his care: Dr. Ricky Davidson, Dr. John Harris, Dr. William Eaves, Dr. Raja Zabaneh, and Dr. Ahmed Virani; the nursing staff at Willis Knighton Bossier; the ICU nurses at Intensive Specialty Hospital Bossier; the Willis Knighton Rehabilitation Institute (inpatient and outpatient) therapists; and the nurses, CNAs, therapists, and staff at Cypress Point Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing.
The family asks if anyone would like to donate in John’s memory; they can do so to the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, or the National Kidney Foundation.
