John Edward Odell Jr.

John Edward Odell, Jr., 77, a long time resident of Westborough and West Hyannisport, MA passed away on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at the Metro-West Medical Center in Natick MA.

John is survived by his wife, Nancy A. (Bertone) Odell and his two daughters Jennifer Odell and her husband Dr. Robert Nossa and their children Alec John and Kathryn Cecelia of Montclair NJ; and Jacqueline Odell - Hermsen and her husband Dr. Jerome Hermsen and their sons Peter John and William Michael of Gloucester, MA.

John was born in Medford, MA son of the late John and Katherine (O'Neil) Odell of Everett, MA. He was the nephew of William Odell passed Potentate of Aleppo Temple of Shriners Boston.

John received a B.S. from Boston College and his MBA from Babson College. He served as a Naval Officer aboard the USS Loeser and USS Oberg during the Lebanon Crisis.

John was initially employed by the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI on the staff of Lee Iacocca and Robert McNamara. He was then a 33 year employee of the Wyman-Gordon Company. In John's tenure at Wyman Gordon he served in multiple capacities but most recently held the title of Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing and served as a Corporate Officer.

John worked on many special projects during his career at Wyman-Gordon. He directed the super-secret SR - 71 program and he administered technical and marketing assistance agreements with SNECMA in France, an agreement that provided the company with its first significant international market program.

John was active in semi-pro sports in the Boston area, a former 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus in Everett, former member of the American Management Association and Forging Industry Association, pass member of the Worcester Club, and long-term volunteer for SCORE.

John was a long time artist, loved spending time on Cape Cod and was an avid sports fan.

His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, October 6, at 10:30 A.M. in St. Luke the Evangelist Church. 70 West Main St., Westborough. Burial, with military honors, will be private in the VA National Cemetery, Bourne.

Calling hours at the Rand-Harper-Pickering Westborough Funeral Home, 62 West Main St., Westborough, are Wednesday, October 5, from 4 to 7 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.

westboroughfuneralhome.com