Garry O'Dell Obituary

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Garry Gene O’Dell.

Garry was born on March 23,1945 to Gerald and Ora O’Dell in Bremerton, Washington. He passed on April 8, 2025, at home with his family present after recently celebrating his 80th birthday. Garry is survived by his wife Terri of 59 years, his daughter Jennifer, son Jeff, and their families. He was also affectionately known as Dad, Pops, Papa, Uncle Goo, and occasionally more colorful nicknames.

Garry was the youngest of seven children by thirteen years, and according to his siblings, they helped raise an exuberant and at times mischievous younger brother. Garry’s family moved around a lot during his childhood, so he was frequently the new kid, but his kind-hearted sense of humor and fierce commitment to his friends and family made it easy for people to like him. He also experienced other challenges as a child; like being diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease at age five and spending nine months in a body cast, or when he and his two friends were electrocuted and thrown out of a tree they were playing in at age nine which was fatal to one of the boys. These experiences may have been why Garry was very protective and caring to people that were disadvantaged or disabled throughout his life.

Despite his hip disease, which created a limp, he was a gifted athlete in multiple sports in school. He also loved the outdoors and spent much of his free time hunting and fishing in his youth. Sports continued to be a passion for him throughout his life and there was almost always a game on the TV.

Garry and Terri met in Lester, Washington, where they attended high school. They were married on July 30, 1966, in Tacoma, Washington. In 1975 they moved to their current home in Port Orchard, Washington hoping to provide a stable and loving environment for their children to grow up in.

Garry enlisted in the Air Force, worked as a logger, and owned a gas station and auto repair shop, but spent most of his career at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington as a Sheet Metal Mechanic. He retired from there in 2001 after 35 years of service. He later worked as a security officer at John Sedgwick Middle School where his wife Terri was the Office Coordinator. They retired from there in 2012.

Garry enjoyed working with his hands and was a skilled craftsman. He believed that if something was worth doing, it was worth taking the time to do it right. He taught that it was most important to feel you did your best regardless of the outcome. He took pride in his knowledge and ability as one of only a few sheet metal spinners in the country that could still make custom parts by hand.

Garry loved his family and friends and seemed most happy when he could be in their company. He enjoyed playing music, playing games, and telling stories or jokes. He was the rare type of person that children and animals felt immediately comfortable around. He was always ready to lend a hand, share what he had, and would always hold the door open for others.

We will profoundly miss Garry, but we are so glad for the time we had with him. We are sure everyone that has had the good fortune to have him in their life feels the same. We are comforted by the belief that he is in a better place and that his suffering is at an end.

The family decided not to have a public service and instead asks each of you to remember and honor Garry in a way that feels right to you. Donations to Shriners Hospital for Children, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, and The Special Olympics would be wonderful places to contribute in Garry’s honor.