CLINTON ALLEN O'DELL, March 5, 1936 - May 19, 2020

My dearest friend has gone to Heaven.

We've said our last good-bye.

He's placed his hand in the hand of Jesus.

I'll see him bye and bye.

by: Jean O'Dell

Allen O'Dell, 84, stepped out of this world and into the arms of his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, on May 19, 2020, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's.  A loving husband and devoted father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he was loved by all who knew him.  He was born on March 5, 1936, the second son of Lloyd and Clara O'Dell at Lloyd Noland Hospital in Fairfield, Alabama.  He graduated from Ensley High School in 1954 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Birmingham Southern College.  He had a long and illustrious career as a chemist at Southern Research Institute, retiring as staff scientist in 1992.  He was an avid fisherman and hunter and a founding member and president of the Birmingham Bassmasters.

He used to say that he had been married all of his life.  He and Mary Patricia Blackburn married in 1956.  They had two children, Paul Allen and Erin Kathleen.  Even though their marriage ended in divorce, they remained friends until Pat's death.  In 1981 he married Jean Carpenter and became the step-father of her son, David Carpenter.  Allen and Jeannie had been married 39 years when he passed away.

Even with all of these highlights, the most auspicious moment of his life came at midnight on August 23, 1981, at Camp Sumatanga where he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.  His life was forever transformed, and he remained a devoted Christ follower.  He and Jeannie worked in many ministry areas, including a mission trip to Mexico.  Allen joined the Gideons in 2000 and was a frequent church speaker and Camp officer for the Chilton County Camp.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Clara O'Dell, his older brother, Lloyd L. O'Dell, his former wife, Patricia O'Dell, and his stepson, David B. Carpenter.  He is survived by his wife, Jean O'Dell of Valrico, Florida, his children, Paul Allen O'Dell and Erin Kathleen Agudelo, his brother, Jerry L. O'Dell (Marilyn), his daughter-in-law, Jamie Carpenter, eight grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and other relatives and friends too numerous to name.  Memorial services will be held in Brandon, Florida, and in Birmingham, Alabama when restrictions are lifted.  Special thanks are given to the staff of Superior Residences of Brandon who cared for and loved on Allen in the last months of his life and to Lifepath Hospice.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Gideons International or your charity of choice.

Arrangements are under the artful care of Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, Riverview, FL