Mavis Odegard

Mavis Odegard died Friday, May 8, 2020 at Home Front First in Montevideo at the age of 86.

A memorial graveside service will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 11:00AM at Greenlawn Cemetery in Verndale, MN.  Dave Seaton will officiate.  Burial will in the Greenlawn Cemetery with her parents Ralph and Olga Rentz.

Mavis Adelle Odegard was born in Verndale, Minnesota to Ralph and Olga (Gregerson) Rentz.  She was baptized and confirmed in Verndale.  She attended Verndale High School where she loved being a cheerleader and involved in class plays. She was a very talented artist and hand illustrated her senior class yearbook. She graduated from Verndale High School in 1952. On July 15, 1954 Mavis was united in marriage to John Odegard in Wadena, Minnesota. They had two children together: James and Karen.  Mavis and John lived in Moorhead while John attended college and she worked two jobs to put him through school. They also lived in Danube and Renville for a period of time before moving to Montevideo for John’s teaching position. She loved being a creative homemaker and raising her children. She was an excellent cook and loved to bake. Mavis was also a very talented seamstress and sewed most of her own clothing and clothing for her family. Pieces of fabric from these creations are found in the quilts she made.Throughout her life Mavis would work in nursing homes as a CNA or privately in home health care where she found the work to be more of a calling and passion than a job. She was never without work in this field and was highly sought after working in many homes in southwestern Minnesota and the Twin Cities. She was raised to believe that people helped one another and caring for the elderly was something she watched her own mother do while growing up. She worked at Luther Haven and was one of the first staff hired at Home Front First when it was newly built. She told the staff at Home Front on the day she moved in, “I swept sawdust and sewed curtains for this place when it opened.”

Mavis was a very faith filled person who always hummed hymns while doing housework. She was an active member of both Trinity Lutheran and Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Montevideo.  She loved to read. Dave Lauritsen, former library director in Montevideo recently said she was one of his best library patrons.Her love of reading led her to read all kinds of books. She would read the Montevideo American Newspaper from first to last page to make sure she knew all the news about Montevideo.  Mavis also enjoyed playing cards, watching Timberwolves basketball and Twins baseball. She loved cats and they loved her too. She had an amazing green thumb and grew the most beautiful African Violets. She could keep a holiday poinsettia alive until summer. She was a frugal person, an excellent money manager and enjoyed shopping at thrift stores and garage sales. In the last few years, she looked forward to rides in the country to look for deer or as she called it, “going deer hunting.” She loved a good cup of coffee and a Simply Caramel candy bar while watching her favorite show Andy Griffith. Her very best qualities were that she was humble, caring, nurturing, forgiving, independent, strong and wise. And above all, Mavis had a good heart, a fantastic sense of humor and was simply a kind and good person.

Mavis is survived by her children: Karen (Joe) Dulak of Winona and James of Montevideo; two grandchildren: Joshua and Kate Dulak; brother: Wayne (Sharon)Rentz of Anoka, MN and many nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents: Ralph and Olga Rentz; brothers Willard, Robert, Richard, LaVerne; sisters Betty Seaton and baby sister Carol Ann, and the father of her children: John Odegard.