Lawrence Allen Odom, Jr.

Lawrence Odom, Jr. passed away on April 16th, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. Born February 2, 1917, to Lawrence A. Odom, Sr. and Ruth Davidson Odom in Alexandria Louisiana. Survived by daughters, Amy Smith, of Austin, Texas, and Marie Ball, of Dallas, Texas; son, Ross Odom and wife Lyn, of Dallas, Texas; 9 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, LouElla Thornton Odom; his second wife, Jeannine McDonald Odom of Dallas, Texas; his son, Neil Davidson Odom, of Honey Grove, Texas; his sisters, Betty F. Coleman and Gladys M. White; and brother, Harold Odom.

He entered military service as a private in 1941 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1942. He served as an infantry platoon leader and a company commander in the Southwest Pacific area, and participated in the military occupation of Japan after the Japanese surrender.

When the Korean War began, he was transferred to the Armor branch and served as Operations and Training Officer of a tank battalion in Korea. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He retired from the U.S. Postal Service in El Paso, Texas in 1972 having served as Training and Safety Officer and Station Manager. He founded and served as first president of the El Paso Chapter of the American Society of Training Directors.

In 1986, he moved to Dallas and started a mailing service. After ten years, he sold the business but remained with it on a part-time basis.

He was a lifelong Methodist and was a member of Highland Park United Methodist Church, and was a member of the Wesleyan Fellowship Sunday School Class.

He continued his involvement with the military as a member of the local chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association.

A memorial service will be held at the Dallas/Ft Worth National Cemetery at 9:15 am, April 22, 2019.