Gay Amrhein Odell

Gay Odell was born in New York, NY, on March 28, 1933, the eldest of two daughters to Alexander and Muriel Amrhein. She attended college at Ohio Wesleyan University and Syracuse University, earning a bachelor's degree. In 1956, she married John "Jack" Odell, with whom she had 3 sons, Stephen, Robert, and Mark, and to whom she was married until his death in 2017. She was a full-time wife and mother to the family, anchoring the home with both great attentiveness and considerable expertise. Jack's nearly 40-year occupation as a commercial and then corporate pilot had the family moving and living in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and even a 2 year assignment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before they finished both his professional career and raising their boys outside of Pittsburgh, PA. During this time, Gay and her family became committed to the Christian faith in great depth, and she and they became actively involved in church life, something they would all continue to the present. As her youngest child neared the end of high school, Gay returned to professional interests for a time, opening with 2 friends an interior design consulting business and small store called Bethany Interiors. Upon Jack's retirement in 1992, they moved to Ft. Collins, CO, before finally moving to Boise in 2011. Gay remained focused on taking care of her home and husband, and involved herself in church groups and activities, while exercising her decorating and creative gifts whenever opportunities arose. She graduated to Heaven on April 17, 2025. She is survived by her sons Stephen (Karen) of Boise, Robert (Jacquie) of Star, and Mark (Kelye) of Kalispell, MT, 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren, and her sister, Lee, of Boise.