Susan Dawn Odell

Born in Los Angeles, June 12, 1967, Susan was adopted by Donald and Virginia Frear. She was raised with four brothers in her adopted family in the Los Angeles area. Susan moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1993 where she began her family with the birth of her first child. She began attending classes at Lane Community College, first pursuing work towards a literature degree as she had been an avid reader since childhood. In 1995, she met her future husband, David Odell. They began a life together in 1996, moving to Corvallis in 1997. They were married in Fairhope, Alabama in 1999 and honeymooned in New Orleans. Susan loved the gritty New Orleans accent, as well as the cuisine, architecture and atmosphere of the city. The Odells returned to Corvallis to continue their life together. Susan worked at Evergreen Technologies for several years, leaving the workforce in 2000 to have her second child, James. In 2002, Susan and family moved to Meridian, Idaho where they made a cozy home for their family. As a parent of two, she loved children. She would volunteer at her children’s schools. In 2013, the family moved to Everett, Washington. Here, Susan re-entered higher education as her children grew into young adulthood. She began culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Seattle. This rekindled her love of education and learning and she later enrolled in Edmonds Community College where she took classes in philosophy, logic, geology, American sign language and mathematics. During her time at school, she learned a lot about ASL and its vivid history, as well as deaf culture. In 2017, she returned to Corvallis with her son James and husband David. She enrolled in Linn-Benton Community College and received her associate degree in anthropology in 2019, whereupon she enrolled in Oregon State University to pursue a bachelor degree in philosophy. She loved animals. Her house was always full of animals throughout her life. She also had a heart for adventure. She thoroughly enjoyed camping, hiking, and riding ATVs in the beautiful landscapes of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. She loved cooking, so much so that she would give tips to her family so they could share with those they love as well. She enjoyed many hours cooking with her family and friends in the kitchen with her favorite 90s rock blaring. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. She enjoyed quilt making, creating two for her children and always had more that she had ideas for or had started on. She was always very interested in helping others. She advocated for domestic abuse victims and worked on adoptee rights issues. She helped more than one adoptee locate their birth families and parents. In the summer of 2020, Susan suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and was left with approximately 20% use of the left side of her body. She fortunately had suffered only minor effects to her mental acuity and speech and was able to continue studying philosophy on her own as an avid reader. She enjoyed watching dramatic and comedic films as well as documentaries. She was fortunate to have been able to view Killers of the Flower Moon in the theater, which she enjoyed immensely. Susan passed away in her home in the early morning hours of November 5, 2023. Don’t let there be less joy in the world with her passing. Make someone smile or laugh or help out a stranger or draw someone into a conversation, as she was known to do. She is survived by her children, Riley, 30, Seattle, Washington, James, 23, Corvallis, Oregon and her husband David, also of Corvallis. Susan and family would prefer a donation to the charity of your choice in her memory in lieu of flowers.

Susan Dawn Odell

June 12, 1967 - November 5, 2023