Odell Johnson

The sun set peacefully over beloved father and Madison resident, Odell Johnson, on July 25, 2008 in Fairfield, Connecticut.   He was born in Del Valle, Texas on July 17, 1917 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II in New Guinea and the Northern Solomons until his discharge in 1945. He then traveled to Madison and arranged for his wife, Marjorie Marie Bradford, to join him. Together they raised and educated three daughters, ""Aggie"", LaVerne, and Shirley.     He worked at Oscar Mayer for almost 35 years, but he was happiest when he ""hit the highway"" in his Buick for vacations to visit a new state and to see his children, grandchildren and countless friends across the country.   He was known for his gardens filled with vegetables and bright, colorful flowers, befriending and feeding lost cats, swimming in Lake Mendota, long bike rides and early morning walks where he chatted with neighbors and played with their dogs. He is survived by his brother Walter Johnson (Texas); three daughters, Agnes Marie Wilson (Connecticut), LaVerne Louise Holmes (Maryland), and Shirley Ann Fletcher (Delaware): four grandchildren, January Nicole and Paul Derrick Wilson , James Michael Fletcher, and Schelli Paige Collins; nieces Edna Marie Brunious   and Emma Breedlove, Melani Quarles, Denise and Elysia Brunious, and Annette Breedlove; nephews   John, Stephen, and Kenneth Quarles, Robert and Robert, Jr. Brunious, and Jerry Breedlove. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie, his sister Velma Breedlove, and his parents, Eugene and Ola Johnson.   Friends and family are invited for a visitation at noon, followed by funeral services at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 1, 2008 at FAITH COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 605 Spruce St., Madison, WI 53715.   Internment will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens on Mineral Point Road, Madison.     In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in memory of Odell be sent to Meharry Medical School Scholarship Fund or the United Negro College Fund.