Obituary
Odell R. Freeman was born on February 2, 1933 to Loyd and Walsie (Cato) Freeman of Jerusalem, Arkansas. He passed away on December 20, 2017 in Ocala, FL, where he had been living since 1998. Odell was known for his booming, deep voice, hard work ethic, pull yourself up by your bootstraps attitude and passion for success.
An ambitious young man, Odell left his parents home at a young age to pursue a career path where he could earn a good living. It wasn’t long before he found his passion in the oilfields where he worked as a roughneck in many states throughout the United States before moving to South America. Odell worked for Gulf Oil and later Chevron, where he was in charge of all drilling for eastern Venezuela for over twenty years. He also spent some time working in Angola, New Guinea and Indonesia. While living in Venezuela, Odell became a Master Mason in the Lagunillas Lodge of the Freemasons in 1976. He continued attending masonic lodge meetings after retiring to live in the United States. After retiring from oil field work in 1992, Odell later gained a real estate license and sold property in Marion County, FL. When he had more time on his hands after retirement, Odell was eager to call his children on either Saturday or Sunday mornings, sometimes as early as 6:00 a.m. Whoever dared to answer with their sleepy voice was greeted by dad with, “Don’t you reckon you outta get up”? His days were full and he didn’t believe in wasting much time sleeping. He will be remembered for his story telling, sense of humor, poker playing abilities and relentless teasing with his grandchildren.
Odell is survived by his wife, Beverly J. Shaw Freeman; children, Leonard Freeman (Melissa) of Tampa, FL, Edward Freeman of CA, Mikel Freeman of Tucson, AZ, Deborah Freeman (Jim) of Tucson, AZ, Margo Leech (James) of Moab, UT and Marcus Freeman (Saralynn) of Chubbuck, ID; brother, Vernon Freeman (Anita) of The Villages, FL; sister, Ovie Reynolds of Tremonton, UT, 15 grandchildren and several great grandchildren. A memorial and celebration of life will take place at a later date in Arkansas. Arrangements by Baldwin Brothers Funerals & Cremations 11250 SW 93rd Ct. Rd. Ocala, FL 352-236-7813
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