Julia M. Odom

COLUMBIA — Julia McAteer Odom, 87, passed away Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. Julia was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Jan. 7, 1926, and raised in Millport, Ala.

In the early 1950s, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where she met and married her husband, James W. “Boots” Odom. They moved to Sumter to live and raise their family in 1956. In the late 1950s and most of the 1960s, Mrs. Odom along with her husband and sons was the owner-operator of Pine Acres Superette. After her husband’s death in 1973, Julia was a real estate investor and property manager in the Sumter and Columbia area.

Before losing most of her eyesight to macular degeneration, Julia was a gifted seamstress having made many of her own clothes and numerous patchwork quilts. In her retirement, she loved bingo, canasta, greyhound dog racing and any travel or event where friends or family were present. Most especially she loved her times with the Senior Meal Lunch Program.

Mrs. Odom was preceded in death by her husband, James W. “Boots” Odom; her brothers, Connor McAteer, Dean McAteer and Alonzo (Mac) McAteer; and her sister, Verdia (Bea) McAteer Hawkins.

She is survived by her three children: Melvin Eugene (Marlene) Odom of Tucson, Ariz., James Daniel Odom of Columbia and Thomas Samuel Odom of Columbia; two sisters-in-law, Hattie Odom of Sumter and Dot McAteer of Bessemer, Ala.; four grandchildren, Nick (Jodi) Dionne-Odom of Birmingham, Ala., Mark Odom and Connor Odom of Columbia, and Sabre Jean (Jacob) Knight of Florence; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Visitation with the family will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Dunbar Funeral Home, 7600 Woodrow St., Irmo. www.dunbarfunerals.com

Funeral services will be at the same location at 1 p.m. Tuesday. A committal service and burial will follow at 3 p.m. at the Sumter Cemetery in Sumter.

Recently Julia has been surrounded by loving care at Sterling House of Harbison for which the family expresses deepest appreciation to the caregivers and staff as well as the staff of Arista Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory be made to: Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission, “Senior Meal Program,” 200 Leisure Lane, Columbia, SC 29210.