William Wesley Odom, Jr. was born on January 1, 1943, in San Antonio, Texas. The only son of William Wesley Odom, Sr. and Flora Merle Brown Odom, Bill grew up in McComb, Mississippi, and lived briefly in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Bill married Judy Burch in 1962 and moved to Starkville, where he graduated from Mississippi State University in 1965. During college he was very active in the Air Force ROTC and was named Cadet Wing Commander his senior year. After graduation, Bill and Judy moved to Laredo, Texas where he flew T-37s and T-38s at Laredo Air Force Base. While in Laredo their first child was born, a daughter, Patrice Michelle. They moved from Laredo to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended Pilot Instructor Training. From there, in 1966, they moved to Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Alabama, where he was an instructor pilot and an academic instructor for 4 years. While at Craig Air Force Base, their second daughter, Angela Diane, and third daughter, Tracy Denise, were born. In 1970, they moved back to McComb, Mississippi, where he worked for approximately 1 year with his father and uncle at Marsalis-Odom Contractors. In the fall of 1971, Bill and Judy moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where he attended law school at Ole Miss. He graduated in December 1973, and then moved to Corinth, Mississippi, where he joined Dean Truck Line as general counsel. In 1981, he opened his own office for the general practice of law. He continued to practice law in Corinth in the areas of real estate and estate planning and was a professor of Business Law and Criminal Justice at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, Mississippi, for 25 years.
Bill acted as a Municipal City Judge for the City of Corinth and was City attorney for many years. He was an active member of the Kiwanis club, being named the 2019 Kiwanian of the Year. A long-time member of First United Methodist Church in Corinth, he served as the Sunday School teacher for the Friendship Class. Always a music fan, Bill sang for many years in the choir at First United Methodist as well as in the Crossroads Collection. He dubbed himself a shade tree mechanic and he loved boating. But most of all he loved his family.
Mr. Odom was preceded in death by his parents, William W. Odom, Jr. and Flora Merle Odom, and his wife of 54 years, Judith Burch Odom.
He is survived by his daughters, Patrice Mitchell (Martin), Angela Warren (Richard) and Tracy Moore (Mark); four grandchildren: Kristen Ferguson (Tommy), Ben Moore (Emily), Molly Warren and Hannah Cox; three great-grandchildren: Jude Ferguson, Jax Ferguson and Saylor Lennox Jackson Moore; and host of friends who were like family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the First United Methodist Church of Corinth, Mississippi.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialcorinth.com for the Odom family
