Lowell Odegaard, 74, of Halstad, Minnesota, died of cancer Wednesday, July 7, 2010, in the Halstad Living Center, Halstad, MN under the loving care of his family and Hospice of the Red River Valley.
Lowell Thorwald was born on April 14, 1936, in Fargo, ND, the son of Lloyd and Solveig (Jostad) Odegaard. He was raised and attended school near Hickson, ND. They moved to land south of Fargo, where his family builtup the farm. Lowell's father died in 1952, and Lowell, at the age of 16, continued to run the farm until the late 1950's, when the farm was sold. He worked for O/Day Equipment and in the 1960's Lowell began working in residential construction.
On May 18, 1963, Lowell was united in marriage to Ruby Dowling in Minto, ND. They moved to Sabin, MN in 1969, where he worked for Transport Inc. As a carpenter, Lowell worked for Fischer Construction and Jerry Plaidson Construction in Moorhead. Lowell and Ruby moved to Gary, MN in 1976, where he worked for the city maintenance. He also worked for Great Plains Lumber yard in Ada for a time. And, in 1987, they moved to Halstad. Lowell worked as farm labor for the Bobbie and Rod Olson farms. Lowell retired in 2007.
Lowell enjoyed fishing, hunting and tinkering in his garage. Watching court TV, especially Judge Judy, was entertainment for him. He read all kinds of books, but really loved reading about birds. His sisters would describe him as a prankster and his children as having a rough exterior with a soft heart.
May God Bless the memory of Lowell Odegaard.
Lowell is survived by his wife, Ruby, Ada, MN, two sons, Raymond, Halstad, MN, Bradley (Carrie), Shelly, MN, three grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, four sisters, Donna (Ray) Evans, GA, Dianne (Wayne) Hagen, Sharon, ND, June Rittmiller, (Ron Heidinger) Bismarck, ND, Joan (Stanley) Turchin, Casselton, ND, one brother, Chuck Odegaard, Walcott, ND, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and one niece.

Funeral Service: 10:30 am on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, Halstad Lutheran Church, Halstad, MN.

Visitation: Tuesday, July 13th from 5-7pm with a prayer service at 6:30pm at the Fredrikson Valley Funeral Home, Halstad, MN.

Burial: North Pleasant Cemetery, Hickson, ND