Rodney "Rod" E. O'Dell

Rodney E. "Rod" O'Dell of Beckley, WV passed away on December 26, 2021 at the age of 83 in Morgantown following a long illness.

Born on September 21, 1938, he was the only child of Eva Light O'Dell and Perry Houston O'Dell of Beckley and the first grandchild of Lydia and Floyd Light and Homer and Rufena O'Dell.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his grandparents.

Those survivors left to cherish his memory are his wife, Patsy Lester O'Dell of Beckley; son Michael S. (Kathleen) O'Dell of Winchester, VA; daughter Deanna (Dee) O'Dell of Beckley; grandson Garrett O'Dell of Beckley; brother-in-law Henry Lester, Jr. (Annie) of Florida; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Rod graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1956, and attended West Virginia Wesleyan College (now University) and Concord College (now University). He went on to work in radio in 1961 at WWNR in Beckley, first as an announcer, then progressing to Program Manager, salesman, and finally to General Manager. He was the DJ for the Little Beaver Record Hop on Saturday nights at Little Beaver Lake for 18 years. He also broadcast Woodrow Wilson's football and basketball games doing both color and play-by-play for over 20 years, never missing a game. He later worked at WXVA-FM in Charles Town, WV; WCIR in Beckley; and subsequently moved to Florida as a manager of WSBB in New Smyrna Beach, and in sales at I-100 in Ormand Beach. He returned to work part-time in Beckley in 1999 for WJLS. Before retiring completely he worked part-time for WVJO-FM in Mullens. He was inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame in Huntington, WV, in 2009. Rod was a long-time member of Beckley First Baptist Church, serving on both the Board of Deacons and the Trustee Board. He was on the Ritual Team at the Beckley Elks Club, served as President of the Beckley Jaycees, and was a member of the Moose Club.

The service for Rod will take place on Friday, December 31, 2021 at 12:00 noon at Beckley First Baptist Church, 422 Neville Street, Beckley, with Pastor Donald "Doc" Adkins officiating. Visitation will be from 10:30 AM until 12:00 noon. Burial will follow at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens in Prosperity. Please wear a mask and observe social distancing.

Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Board of Deacons at First Baptist Church, to the Raleigh County Humane Society, or to a charity of your choice.

Private online condolences and other expressions of sympathy may be directed to the family via our guestbook at www.roseandquesenberry.net .

Arrangements are by Rose and Quesenberry Funeral Home, 1901 South Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV.