Dr. John Turner Odbert, 75, of Erie, Colorado, passed away peacefully on January 7, 2019, following a long-fought battle with Alzheimer’s disease and leukemia.
John was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 12, 1943, to John Turner, Sr. and Mary Frances (Shepardson) Odbert. He grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he met and married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Barbara Ann (Brisky) Odbert.
After receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois, John returned to the University of Michigan as a professor. Always determined to live life on his own terms, John left academia in 1977 to pursue a new adventure working with Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado. He went on to develop a number of successful entrepreneurial ventures that gave him the opportunity to consult with a diverse and dynamic corporate clientele.
John worked hard in life, but he played hard as well. His childhood love of cars and motorcycles became a lifelong passion. John spent many years collecting and racing Corvettes before turning his attention to customizing classic hotrods. Simultaneously, his motorcycle hobby evolved from Hondas to Harley Davidsons, which he and his wife rode to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for many years. His ultimate “biker” achievement was the design and building of a custom Chopper that went on to be featured in Street Chopper magazine in 2002.
Through it all, John’s greatest joy in life was his family. He is survived by his wife Barb, daughters Julie (Jeff) Kuehn and Carmen Odbert, grandchildren Samantha Odbert and Matthew Kuehn, and sister Fran Odbert.
John was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 12, 1943, to John Turner, Sr. and Mary Frances (Shepardson) Odbert. He grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he met and married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Barbara Ann (Brisky) Odbert.
After receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois, John returned to the University of Michigan as a professor. Always determined to live life on his own terms, John left academia in 1977 to pursue a new adventure working with Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado. He went on to develop a number of successful entrepreneurial ventures that gave him the opportunity to consult with a diverse and dynamic corporate clientele.
John worked hard in life, but he played hard as well. His childhood love of cars and motorcycles became a lifelong passion. John spent many years collecting and racing Corvettes before turning his attention to customizing classic hotrods. Simultaneously, his motorcycle hobby evolved from Hondas to Harley Davidsons, which he and his wife rode to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for many years. His ultimate “biker” achievement was the design and building of a custom Chopper that went on to be featured in Street Chopper magazine in 2002.
Through it all, John’s greatest joy in life was his family. He is survived by his wife Barb, daughters Julie (Jeff) Kuehn and Carmen Odbert, grandchildren Samantha Odbert and Matthew Kuehn, and sister Fran Odbert.
Dr. John Turner Odbert, 75, of Erie, Colorado, passed away peacefully on January 7, 2019, following a long-fought battle with Alzheimer’s disease and leukemia.
John was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 12, 1943, to John Turner, Sr. and Mary Frances (Shepardson) Odbert. He grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he met and married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Barbara Ann (Brisky) Odbert.
After receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois, John returned to the University of Michigan as a professor. Always determined to live life on his own terms, John left academia in 1977 to pursue a new adventure working with Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado. He went on to develop a number of successful entrepreneurial ventures that gave him the opportunity to consult with a diverse and dynamic corporate clientele.
John worked hard in life, but he played hard as well. His childhood love of cars and motorcycles became a lifelong passion. John spent many years collecting and racing Corvettes before turning his attention to customizing classic hotrods. Simultaneously, his motorcycle hobby evolved from Hondas to Harley Davidsons, which he and his wife rode to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for many years. His ultimate “biker” achievement was the design and building of a custom Chopper that went on to be featured in Street Chopper magazine in 2002.
Through it all, John’s greatest joy in life was his family. He is survived by his wife Barb, daughters Julie (Jeff) Kuehn and Carmen Odbert, grandchildren Samantha Odbert and Matthew Kuehn, and sister Fran Odbert.
John was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 12, 1943, to John Turner, Sr. and Mary Frances (Shepardson) Odbert. He grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he met and married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Barbara Ann (Brisky) Odbert.
After receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate from the University of Illinois, John returned to the University of Michigan as a professor. Always determined to live life on his own terms, John left academia in 1977 to pursue a new adventure working with Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado. He went on to develop a number of successful entrepreneurial ventures that gave him the opportunity to consult with a diverse and dynamic corporate clientele.
John worked hard in life, but he played hard as well. His childhood love of cars and motorcycles became a lifelong passion. John spent many years collecting and racing Corvettes before turning his attention to customizing classic hotrods. Simultaneously, his motorcycle hobby evolved from Hondas to Harley Davidsons, which he and his wife rode to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for many years. His ultimate “biker” achievement was the design and building of a custom Chopper that went on to be featured in Street Chopper magazine in 2002.
Through it all, John’s greatest joy in life was his family. He is survived by his wife Barb, daughters Julie (Jeff) Kuehn and Carmen Odbert, grandchildren Samantha Odbert and Matthew Kuehn, and sister Fran Odbert.
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