Giuseppe "Joe" Oddo

Giuseppe "Joe" Oddo passed away peacefully on June 17, 2026, surrounded by the family he loved so fiercely. Though his passing leaves an immeasurable void, his family finds comfort knowing that his final moments were spent exactly as he lived his life-with the people he loved gathered around him, sharing stories, laughter, and memories.

Born and raised in Sicily, Italy, Giuseppe carried his Sicilian heritage with pride throughout his life. As a young man, he immigrated to the United States in search of opportunity and built a life defined by hard work, devotion to family, and an unwavering willingness to help anyone in need.

On December 4, 1992, Giuseppe married the love of his life, Kimberley. Their marriage blended his two daughters with Kimberley's daughter, whom he loved and raised as his own. After moving to Gaylord, Michigan, their family was completed through the adoption of two more daughters and a son. To outsiders, we may have appeared to be a blended family, but to us, we were simply a family. Mom was always Mom, and Dad was always Dad.

In fact, when the youngest of the Oddo children, Emily, was little, she proudly explained that Casandra, Priscilla, and Emily came from Dad's belly because they all had dark hair like him, while Roberta, Rose, and Luciano came from Mom's belly because they had lighter hair like hers. It made perfect sense to her, and in many ways, it perfectly captured how Giuseppe made his family feel-completely and unquestionably his.

Giuseppe's retirement years were spent doing what he loved most: taking care of people. He raised his children, opened his heart and home to foster children who needed love and stability, and somehow found time to work at Kohl's. There, his quick wit, honesty, and legendary sass earned him a reputation that lives on. In true Dad fashion, he was eventually banned from answering the phones and working the register because he was simply too honest for customer service. He never saw much value in sugarcoating the truth, and those who loved him wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

To his children, Giuseppe was the ultimate fixer. There was nothing he couldn't build, repair, weld, patch, sew, troubleshoot, or somehow bring back to life. If something was broken, you called Dad. If life was scary, uncertain, or overwhelming, you called Dad. He would drop everything without hesitation to drive hours to pick up a homesick college student, take someone to a doctor's appointment, help with a project, solve a crisis, or simply be there when he was needed.

His oldest daughter Casandra spent countless hours by his side learning those skills, becoming so handy herself that friends affectionately nicknamed her "Bob Vila." Thanks to Dad, she can lay cement, hang drywall, shovel a roof, and tackle just about any home repair project. But the most important thing he taught his children wasn't how to fix houses-it was how to take care of people.

Dad showed us that strength and kindness belong together. Long before anyone talked about sharing household responsibilities, Dad simply pitched in wherever he was needed. He could wash dishes, do laundry, cook dinner, and care for his family without ever considering it someone else's job. There wasn't much Dad couldn't repair, and that included clothing. Having learned to sew from his mother in Sicily, he could patch a hole, replace a zipper, or mend a torn seam just as easily as he could repair a car or fix something around the house. To Dad, a problem was simply something waiting to be solved.

Giuseppe's influence can still be seen throughout his family. It lives on in the way Luciano throws himself into fatherhood, in the standards his daughters have for the people they choose to share their lives with, and in the example his grandchildren will grow up hearing about for years to come. The men who married into the family quickly discovered they had big shoes to fill-not because Giuseppe expected perfection, but because he spent a lifetime showing us what it looks like to love your family well.

On March 22, 2017, Giuseppe became a Papa for the first time with the birth of his granddaughter Bristol. While he loved being a father, nothing brought him greater joy than being a Papa. Bristol was followed by Jameson, Kinzie, Juliano, Adriano, Georgia, and Teddy, each forming their own special bond with him.

His grandchildren were the center of his universe. Papa was always ready for a little harmless mischief-sneaking treats when mom or dad had already said no, bending the rules just enough to make his grandbabies smile, or proudly introducing each of them to their first taste of Nonna's homemade spaghetti sauce, a rite of passage in the Oddo family.

Food was one of the many ways Giuseppe showed love. For years, his children assumed everyone's nighttime snack consisted of bread, cheese, cold cuts, and olives because that's what Dad ate. It never occurred to them that this was uniquely Italian-it was simply normal because it was Dad.

The holidays revolved around family, and Christmas belonged to Dad. Christmas meant homemade lasagna, rice balls, struffoli (affectionately known in our family as "reindeer poop"), and spingi. These weren't just recipes-they were traditions, memories, and one of the many ways Giuseppe showed his love. He poured his heart and soul into every dish, and Christmas simply wouldn't have felt like Christmas without him in the kitchen.

This Christmas, and every Christmas after, one of us will take over making the dishes Dad made famous. We will follow his recipes, share his stories, and do our best to honor the traditions he created. But we already know that something will always be missing. Dad put a piece of himself into every dish, every holiday, and every gathering. We may be able to recreate the recipes, but we will never be able to recreate the love, laughter, and joy that he brought to the kitchen. Without Dad at the center of our Italian Christmas, it will never quite be the same.

Dad was incredibly proud of the people his children grew up to become. He also developed a special talent for tormenting the people they married. Every son- and daughter-in-law who joined the family quickly learned that Dad's teasing was actually a sign of affection. In fact, if Dad wasn't giving you a hard time, you had reason to worry. His sarcasm was legendary, his timing was impeccable, and his ability to deliver a perfectly timed one-liner kept everyone laughing. Beneath all the teasing was a man who loved his family deeply and was grateful for every person who became part of it.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alberto and Rosaria; son-in-law, Paul Newland; nephews, Johnny Allen and Rob Lunceford; and brother-in-law, Vincenzo Russo.

He is survived by his beloved wife of more than 33 years, Kimberley; his sister Maria Russo; his children, Casandra Newland and Kevin Marchinkewicz, Roberta Oddo, Priscilla and Wayne Winter, Rose Oddo and Gary Fahler, Luciano and Ruchelle Oddo, and Emily and Gavin Atkins; his treasured grandchildren, Bristol, Jameson, Kinzie, Juliano, Adriano, Georgia, and Teddy; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Giuseppe spent his life fixing things. The heartbreaking truth is that this is the one thing he could not fix for us. But the love, strength, traditions, lessons, and sense of belonging he gave his family remain. His children, grandchildren, and all who loved him will carry those gifts forward for the rest of their lives.

To us, he was more than a husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was our hero. And no matter how many years pass, a part of us will always believe that Dad could fix anything.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, June 25, 2026 at St. Mary Cathedral where visitation will begin at 10:00 AM. Inurnment will be in the Columbarium at St. Mary Cemetery.