Jane O’Dea

Jane Skiles O'Dea, née Jane Millen Skiles died on June 22, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri, she was 72. She was born to Paul S. Skiles and L. Claire Skiles on April 11, 1950, in Ames, Iowa. She is survived by her husband Thomas J. O'Dea, her daughters Shannon McGrath and Kelly Brown, her sons-in-law Christopher McGrath and Nicholas Brown, her granddaughters Breanna and Mackenzie McGrath and Rome Brown, and her sister Susan Henderson, as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins. She graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa in 1968. She received her bachelor's degree in political science from Iowa State University in 1972 and later that year she joined the United States Navy as a commissioned officer. Like her father, she became a Naval Aviator; she was chosen to be in the first class of women aviators. She met Tom in Rota, Spain in 1974 and married him in Gibraltar on August 25, 1975. She achieved the rank of Captain before her retirement in 1997. She continued working as a government contractor to later enter civil service supporting various programs at SPAWAR in San Diego, California, a Professor for the Defense Acquisition University and finally a government Program Manager at SPAWAR in Norfolk, Virginia. She obtained a master's degree in IT from the University of Phoenix in 2006. She officially retired in 2014 after 52 years of service. She had logged over 3,000 hours in the C-130, C-1A, T-34, and EC-130Q while assigned to VR-24, VT-2, AVT-16 (aboard the USS Lexington), and VQ-4. Tom and Jane moved from Norfolk, Virginia to St. Louis, Missouri in March of 2021 where she spent the last of her days. She played the violin, viola, six and twelve string guitar and piano in many groups such as Symphonicity in Virginia Beach and the Reston Community Orchestra in Reston, Virginia. This multi-talented woman leaves a legacy of hard work and dedication to any who knew her. She was a mother, a mentor, a friend, a pioneer, a trailblazer, and always the Skipper. She meant many things to many people but all who knew her were awed by her. The world is less rich without her in it. Her Celebration of Life will be held in St. Louis, Missouri.