Odessa Lee Mazzei entered heaven on Friday, December 30, 2016 at the age of 94. For the past nine years, she and her husband have lived at Brookdale Senior Living in Smithfield, RI. They had previously lived in Johnston for 45 years and had been married for 73 years.
Born in Dillion, South Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Andrew and Maggie (Harrelson) Miller.
Odessa was a licensed practical nurse and worked in that field for many years. She then became a Tupperware manager and had a unit called Dess's Dynamos. This was an appropriate name as anyone who knew her knew she was a dynamo. She lived a life that inspired others to reach for their dreams,
She attended Trinity Baptist Church for many years where she sang in the choir and was Sunday School Superintendent. When she moved to Johnston, she was an active member of Greenville Baptist Church.
In addition to her husband, Odessa is survived by her two daughters, Barbara Noseworthy of Wilmington, DE and Betty Udelsman of Spring Lake, NJ. She is the grandmother of Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, Caroline Noseworthy and Kristin Votta, and the great grandmother of Adam Fitzsimmons. Odessa is also survived by sisters Peggy Boone of California, Barbara Glass of Texas and Jackie Miller of North Carolina and a brother David Miller of North Carolina.
Burial will be in RI Veteran's Cemetery, Exeter, RI