Josephine Odell

Josephine "Jo" was born August 2, 1918 in Nowata, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of Elijah and Peal (Campbell) Collins. Jo attended schools at Carter Nine, Shidler, Ponca City, Pershing, Barnsdall and completed her education in the Nowata Public Schools and was a member of the Nowata High School Class of 1938. Following her formal education, she attended a business school in Tulsa. Jo was united in marriage to Mr. Emry Ardell Cook on December 14, 1939. Mr. Cook was a Baptist minister and pastored at Watova, Oklahoma (a mission of Nowata First Baptist) before becoming pastor of the Lenapah First Baptist Church. Jo was the Washington County Youth Director over the Youth Camps at Osage Hills. Emry and Jo established the church at Newcastle, Wyoming and Jo worked as the Association's Church Clerk and taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Youth Camps. They later moved to Watford City, North Dakota and were instrumental in building three churches, and here is where Jo was the Area WMU Director, which included the state of North Dakota. The Cooks were called to Paragould, Arkansas to pastor and she served as the youth director. Following their work in Paragould, Jo and Emry returned to Nowata and were again called to Lenapah where they remained until Emry's illness and subsequent death on March 6, 1969. Jo was then married to Mr. Ernest Odell at Bartlesville, Oklahoma on December 19, 1969 and they established their home at the Arnold Moore "JAM Acres" near Ochelata, where Ernest worked at managing the farm for Mr. Moore. Jo and Ernie remained on the farm for over 40 years. She was a member of Matoaka Baptist Church. Survivors are: her husband, Ernest Odell; her daughter, Dennia (Cook) Grazier of Bartlesville; two grandchildren: Bruce Lee Grazier of Buckingham, VA and Brenda Buskirk of Marion, KY; a sister, Mrs. Bernice Hada and husband, Gordon of Drumright, OK; three great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; two step-daughters: Phyllis Freeman and husband Danny of Bartlesville and Janet Carter and husband Jack of Bartlesville; nine step-grandchildren and 18 step-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by: her parents; husband, Emry Cook; sister, Denna Moffett; brother, Paul Collins; step-son, Chuck Turner Odell and step daughter, Barbara Fogle.

Visitation Details

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012 12:00pm - 8:00pm

Service Details

Thursday, July 26th, 2012 10:00am