Olen "Odie" C. Presnell's Obituary
Olen Crawford Presnell, “Odie,” 71, of Spring Lake, MI, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2009 at his home. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert and Anna Crawford; his parents, Bob and Leona Presnell; his infant grandson, Matthew Jerrit Van Dyke; and his brother-in-law, William Bain.
Odie was born in Dixon, IL on November 15, 1937. He graduated from Dixon High School in 1955, and joined the Navy. He was honorably discharged as Aviation Ordinanceman 3 in 1958. After the Navy, Odie went to work at Borden’s Dairy in Dixon, IL, and eventually AME, working on material handling systems. Odie moved to Spring Lake, MI in 1975 and later formed his own company, Technical Service and Installation, Inc. Odie’s career allowed him lots of world travel and his wife Mary often accompanied him. He was always an outdoorsman, enjoying his love for fishing on the lakes of MI and remote Canada. He also enjoyed deep sea fishing near his winter home in Apollo Beach, FL; his last trophy, a sail fish, was taken on a family fishing trip in Palm Beach. His hunting trophies included the whitetail deer taken at his hunting lodge in Hesperia, MI, as well as the mighty Cape Buffalo and a leopard taken in the wild of Botswana, Africa.
Odie is survived by his wife of 26 years, Mary; three children: Mark (Eileen) Presnell, Cheryl (Jeffry) Giangrande, and Jeffrey Presnell (friend Joan Rietdyk); two step-children, Kelly (Mitch) Van Dyke and Chad Houghtaling; sisters Wilma Bain and Melody (Jim) Lessner; 11 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Odie was loved by many and will be sorely missed by his family and many close friends.
Visitation will take place on Wednesday, October 28 from 2-4 and 6:30-8:30 p.m. at VanZantwick Bartels and Kammeraad Funeral Home in Spring Lake. A celebration of Odie’s life will be held Thursday, October 29th at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Spring Lake with Rev. Doug Bytwerk officiating. Interment will be at Spring Lake Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the West Michigan Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 4065 Saladin Dr., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. Share memories with the family at their on-line guestbook at www.vbkfuneralhome.com.
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