Odessa Barnett

Odessa Loretta (Colbert) Barnett was born on February
15, 1930 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was the daughter of the
late James and Willie T. (Smith) Colbert. Odessa was joined
in Holy Matrimony to the late Johnnie Frank Barnett at the
age of 19.
Odessa accepted Christ at an early age along with her
brothers and sisters. Until her death, she was a member of
the Gray Road Church of Christ. Odessa loved the Lord
and loved to worship Him. When her health allowed, she
was at church when the doors opened. She lived her life as a
Christian.
Odessa attended Stowe School in Cincinnati, Ohio. She
worked various jobs to hold the family together. However,
her most important job was raising her eight children. She
was known for her culinary skills, especially the cornbread
dressing and banana pudding.
Odessa was a loving and caring mother, daughter, sister,
grandmother and friend to everyone, especially to Crystal
Barnett whom she played a significant role in her upbringing.
She was a very soft spoken person with very few words.
But, she always made time to listen to our problems and was
never judgmental. She encouraged us to always keep moving
forward. Odessa was a 25 year survivor of lung and breast
cancer. She would always let it be known that she was a
cancer survivor and for years attended the breast cancer
luncheon with her niece, Eloise Reader.
Odessa was given a Proclamation signed by the former
Mayor Mark Mallory at her 80th birthday party declaring
February 20, 2010 as “Odessa Barnett Day”. She also
received a birthday card from President Barack Obama.
Odessa was a giver. She gave whatever and whenever she
could. She always greeted everyone with a smile. She had a
way of making you feel special. Odessa was witty and
comical. She loved playing cards at family gatherings and
playing checkers with her grandchildren. Odessa was the
glue that held the family together.
She was preceded in death by four sisters, Pauline, Evelene,
Anne Dee and Mary Helen, five brothers, Richard, Louis,
William Sr., Alfred and Arthur, one brother-in-law, Clarence
Wooten, three sisters-in-law, Charlotte, Emma and Mary
Lou, and a son-in-law, James Alston.
The Lord sent an angel down to bring Odessa home to be
with him. She departed this life peacefully for eternal rest on
April 16, 2014.
Odessa leaves to cherish her memory: three daughters,
Loretta, Emma and Zina; five sons, Vernon (Laverne),
Robert Sr. (Margie), David Michael Sr. (Althea), James and
Frederick; two brothers, Donald (Synovia) Colbert of
Maplewood, Minnesota and Douglas E. Colbert of Cincinnati,
Ohio; one aunt, Daisy Mae Smith of Etowah, Tennessee;
16 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one greatgreat-
grandchild; and a host of many other relatives and
friends.