Jacob Odinetz

Jacob “Jack” Odinetz was born on August 27, 1930, the only child of proud Ukrainian immigrant parents. He grew up in Centerline, Michigan, and attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering. Jack served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and was stationed in New Mexico. True to his adventuresome spirit, he enjoyed many weekend furloughs exploring the desert Southwest, indulging his ardent interest in geology. Jack married Leda (Cosmenco) in 1956 and together they raised two children. He worked as a Civil Engineer for the city of Warren, Michigan until 1986 when he and Leda retired to Hendersonville, North Carolina. Jack’s love for adventure lasted throughout his lifetime. He had a passion for traveling and took his family on numerous memorable trips, both in the States and abroad. After retirement, he and Leda traveled all over the world, including more than 30 cruises. Jack continued to enjoy hiking in his beloved Blue Ridge mountains until he was nearly 80. In 2013, Jack and Leda moved to Carolina Village retirement community, where they made many dear friends and became active members of the community. Jack continued to be enthusiastically involved in community life, even after suffering a stroke in 2018. He continued to sustain his varied interests, and in his later years, he spent many hours doing video-editing, archiving his many travels, and gladly creating a video guide for anyone who mentioned an upcoming trip. Jack’s propensity for exploration extended beyond the physical world to the spiritual. After many years of what he would describe as “searching”, he placed his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He was baptized in the Jordan River while on a trip to Israel in 2015. Jack passed from this life to spend eternity with his Lord on February 6, 2023. He is preceded in death by Leda, his beloved wife of 65 years, as well as their daughter, Karen. He will be dearly missed by his son and daughter-in-law, (Steve and Chris Odinetz), and his former son-in-law, (Mark Sutter), as well as his friends, including many of the wonderful staff members of Carolina Village. Jack did not designate a charity to which to donate in his honor, however in managing his affairs, we noticed his favorite recent charities were the Hendersonville Rescue Mission -(HendersonvilleRescueMission.com) and Wycliffe Associates – (wycliffeassociates.org). Jack has requested no memorial service but will be honored and treasured in our hearts forever.

Jacob Odinetz

August 27, 1930 - February 6, 2023