Duluth civic and church groups have counted on using the expansive yard of residents Wallace and Ann Odum when they need a place to gather.
Mr. Odum so enjoyed playing host to community events that several years ago he built a screened-in pavilion with restrooms and grills for such functions. He made it available without cost to church groups, Scouts, civic clubs and youth sports teams, said son Carey Odum of Duluth.
A family friend dubbed it Wild Wally’s Party Shack and hung up a big sign.
“It was totally the opposite of who he was; that’s what was so funny about it,” his son said.
Mr. Odum was a mild-mannered, kind-hearted rock of the community, his family and friends said. “He was the steady one in our family,” said Ann Odum, his wife of 56 years.
The former head of Parsons retail stores was also a leader at Duluth First United Methodist Church, where he used his business acumen to guide budgets and building programs, his wife said.
A. Wallace Odum Jr., 77, died Tuesday during a family beach vacation in Garden City, S.C. The cause is unknown, his wife said. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Duluth First United Methodist. Bill Head Funeral Home, Duluth Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
A native of Waycross, Mr. Odum met his wife, the former Ann Parsons, while he was a student at Mercer University in Macon and she attended nearby Wesleyan College. They married in 1955. After he served a stint in the Army, they moved to Duluth to work in the Parsons family business.
Mr. Odum eventually ran the seven-store retail chain, retiring as president about 10 years ago, his wife said.
In addition to his business responsibilities, Mr. Odum was past president of the Gwinnett County Rotary Club. He had also been an Explorer Scout leader and served eight years on the Gwinnett Community Bank board.
He was involved with the Duluth Fall Festival, serving as treasurer and hosting their annual cookouts at the “party shack,” his wife said.
“He was one of the leaders in our community,” said longtime friend Tom Martin, chairman and CEO of Gwinnett Community Bank. “He was the type of leader you want to have because he always did things the right way.”
Besides spending time with his family, one of Mr. Odum’s passions was growing tomatoes. He planted 20 plants every spring and was always eager for the first ones to ripen, remembered longtime friend Luke Livingston of Duluth.
When the tomatoes were ready to be picked, he’d gather them by the basketful to give away. “He would count every one of them. One year he had more than 2,000,” Mr. Livingston said.
“Everyone knew about Wally’s tomatoes,” Mrs. Odum said. “He would take them to Gwinnett Community Bank, Bunten Road Park, to the church and to neighbors.”
Earlier this year, Mr. Odum pulled up the tomato cages left standing from last summer’s crop, cleaned them out but didn’t have the energy to put down a new crop, said daughter Sharon Parris of Duluth.
“So we all had a family day, ate a big lunch then planted the tomatoes while Dad watched from his golf cart,” Mrs. Parris said. “The first one ripened the day he died.”
Other survivors include a daughter, Cindy Flournoy of Columbus; a son, Ken Odum of Duluth; three sisters, Faye Barker of Valdosta, Dale Barrow of Mount Holly, N.C., and Patsy Hickox of Nashville, Ga.; and nine grandchildren.
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