Dexter Stetson Odin

Dexter Stetson Odin passed away at his Great Falls home Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the age of 89, surrounded by his family.

Dexter was born August 24, 1934 to Bernice "Sammy" and Janie Odin in Southport, North Carolina. To his family, friends, and older brother, Bill, he was fondly known as "Buddy." His father's Coast Guard assignment brought the family to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where he completed high school, spending his summers in the Merchant Marines on the Great Lakes. After high school he enrolled in the University of Florida, earning a degree in Industrial Relations and serving active duty in the Air Force from 1956 to 1957. He then moved to Washington, DC to study law at George Washington University, where he met his wife, Paula Brown. He proposed to her on the steps of the Capitol Building, and they were married in August of 1958.

After briefly working in private practice, Dexter served as the first ever Fairfax County Attorney from 1967 to 1969. There, he hired David Feldman as assistant county attorney, and both Dexter and David left the county attorney's office in 1968 to work in private practice. In 1973, Jimmy Pittleman joined the firm to lead their Corporate, Tax and Finance practice, and in 1976, the firm officially became Odin Feldman Pittleman. During his time at the firm, Dexter began his role as attorney for the town of Herndon, where he served until 1991. Today, the firm has grown to nearly 50 attorneys and has tried a vast number of cases in criminal defense, litigation, corporate law, real estate and land use, and tax law. Having practiced law for over 50 years, he was named Lawyer of the Year in municipal law by "The Best Lawyers in America" in 2012, 2015, and 2021, and was inducted last year into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.

His childhood in the Outer Banks created in Dexter a lifelong love of seafaring. He owned and co-owned three sailboats, Trilogy, The Balmoral, and The Force Majeure, which carried him on countless sailing adventures around the world, from braving the 50-foot waves around Cape Horn to serving as crew on a tall ship across the Atlantic. Not limited to the waves, his wanderlust continued on land with too many hiking trips to mention, notably an expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania shortly before his 80th birthday. His sense of adventure was unmatched, and he delighted in sharing his travels with family and friends.

Dexter is survived by his wife, Paula, his children, Eric and Amy, and four grandchildren, Corey, Leah, Rebecca, and Scarlett. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Alice, and his brother, Bill.

A sharp intellect, an even sharper wit, and a heart full of kindness that grew even larger through his lifetime, Dexter would ask that you join his family to celebrate the close of his adventures, with a few tears perhaps, but absolutely as much laughter (and rum) as legally allowed.

A memorial service will be held at Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St. NE, Vienna, VA on Friday, March 15 at 1 p.m.

The online guestbook is available at