Gerald’s Obituary GERALD CLARK ODLAND July 26, 1946 – March 24, 2019 On March 24, 2019 Gerald “Jerry” Odland of West Friendship, MD (age 72) died peacefully in his sleep. Husband of Dianne (DePue) Odland, father of Kevin Michael Odland and Brian Martin Odland (Anneke Maurit), grandfather to Cody Makana Odland and Cruz Makai Odland. He is son of the late Martin Luther Odland and Ethel Wentzel Odland and brother of Ronald Odland (Beverly), the late Sheldon Odland and late Steven Odland (Linda).
Jerry was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and was raised in State College, home of Penn State, where his father was a professor. He loved his summers spent at his Uncle Ben’s farm in Michigan and enjoyed many adventures with his lifelong friend, Doug Keith, e.g., nighttime rattlesnake hunting! Jerry obtained his BS and MS degrees (zoology, entomology) at the University of Maryland where he met his future wife, Dianne.
The couple, married in 1969, lived in Beltsville and Bowie, where they raised their 2 sons, Brian and Kevin. From 1969-1971, Jerry served in the Army’s 4th Infantry Division where he served as a Veterinary Specialist in charge of scout dogs in Vietnam. During his career, Jerry held professional positions with the Entomological Society of America and served both as Deputy Executive Director (1985-1991) and Executive Director (1991-2008) of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), where he worked diligently with its leadership to serve teachers and young children worldwide.
He lived and breathed ACEI! Jerry retired in 2008. For the past 24 years Jerry resided with Dianne and Kevin in West Friendship where he enjoyed gardening, growing water lilies in his pond, landscaping, bee keeping, taking care of his Jacob sheep, raising orchids, crabbing, fishing, and hundreds of trips to Home Depot in support of his home projects.
He also enjoyed traveling and was particularly fond of his trips to Kauai, to several Aztec and Mayan ruins, and yearly trips to Ocean City at Thanksgiving time. Newest in Jerry’s life were his awesome daughter-in-law, Anneke, and 2 precious grandsons, Cody (almost 4) and Cruz (almost 2). Family will receive friends on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 from 10am to 11:30am at Beall Funeral Home, 6512 NW Crain Highway (Rt 3 South), Bowie, MD followed by a funeral service at 11:30am.
Interment, with Military Honors, immediately afterwards at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville, MD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jerry’s memory to the Boston University Amyloidosis Center in Boston, Massachusetts (Please specify ATTR Amyloidosis Research). Contact Information: Amyloidosis Center, 72 East Concord Street, K-503, Boston, MA 02118; bu.
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