Odell Kenneth Morris

Odell Kenneth Morris, 91, went to be with the Lord, Saturday, May 22, 2021 at his home in Shawnee, OK.

Odell was born March 30, 1930, at the family’s home in rural Seminole County to George Leland and Artie Pearl Morris.  He was next to the youngest of seven children.

Odell didn’t start school until he was 8 years old because he wasn’t allowed to go until he was big enough to ride the mule to and from school.  He attended Moss High School but the family moved and he did his senior year at Spaulding, graduating in 1950.

He told stories of hitchhiking to western Oklahoma as a teenager to follow the wheat harvest and the oil field jobs.  He retired from Welex (Halliburton) after 30 years, ending his career as a Completion Engineer on a logging truck.  He then worked at the Pottawatomie county assessor office as a field appraiser and auditor, retiring a second time!

Odell met the love of his life Joann Lee in Holdenville, OK. They were married in November of 1951 and moved to Lamessa, TX to work the oil field.  Shortly after the move he was drafted into the US Army.  He served in the 388th Chemical Corps Unit in the Korean War.  Odell suffered a permanent hearing loss due to the war.  He had been active in VFW in Shawnee for many years.

Odell was preceded in death by his wife, Joann Marie (Lee) Morris; his parents and siblings.

He is survived by his daughters, Brenda and Gary Harness and Karalee and John Workun; grandchildren, Chad and Anya Harness, Brad Harness, Zachary and Karen Workun, Gharrett and Sarah Workun, Kendell and Jon Lowry and “adopted” grandson, Joshua Veitch; great-grandchildren include, Collin, Makenna, Hunter and Chase Harness, Isaiah and Gideon Workun; other loving extended family and friends.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to The Regional Food Bank in Oklahoma City, 3355 South Purdue Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK  73137 or American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK  73123.

Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday, May 28, 2021 at Cooper Funeral Home.  Graveside Service with military honors will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, May 29, 2021 at Fairview Cemetery in Shawnee with Reverend Dale Rogers officiating under the direction of Cooper Funeral Home of Tecumseh.   The family will hold a Memorial Service to honor both their parents on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Mammoth Baptist Church, Highway 62 in Meeker, OK.