Odessa Louise Till

Odessa Louise Till was born July 16, 1944, in Bell, California in Los Angeles County. She had two siblings, Peter Carl Chorak and Paula Lixie Chorak. Odessa was the daughter of Peter Paul and Jo Lixie (Lowery) Chorak. She and her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she fell in love with horses and animals. Odessa spent her summers in Black Lake, Louisiana, with her Aunt Catharine and family, which she loved. Her family then moved to Grand Prairie, Texas, where she graduated high school. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Odessa had a passion for the medical field, earning her degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse from Vocational Nursing School in Dallas. She started her nursing career at Parkland Hospital. While on vacation with her friends in Galveston, she met her future husband, Leo Raymond Till, who was on leave from the Army. Odessa and Leon moved to Houston to start their family. She fell in love with caring for the elderly when she worked at the Jewish Home for the Aging. Odessa and Leon had three children; Phillip Raymond Till, Melanie Annette Till-Wiktorik, and Rhonda Ann Till. While traveling from Galveston to Fort Hood, Leon fell in love with the little town of Bellville and in 1980, after surviving many floods in Houston on Buffalo Bayou, Odessa and Leon decided to move there. Shortly after moving to Bellville, sadly Leon passed away. Odessa, in her perseverance and strength, raised her three young children as a single mother and never remarried. Odessa continued her passion of caring for the elderly in Bellville nursing homes for 35 years. Odessa’s passion for nursing was so great that both her daughters decided to follow in her footsteps becoming nurses as well. She continued her passion for animals throughout her life, surrounding herself with her beloved pets and many other animals. She was a beloved friend to many. Eleonore and Cindy, whom she met when she first came to Bellville, were Odessa’s closest friends and like sisters.

She is survived by her children: Phillip Raymond Till and wife, Heather, Melanie Annette Wiktorik and husband, Heath, Rhonda Till and husband, Rhett Mewis; and grandchildren: Joshua, Kaitlyn, Jacob, Jonah, and Levi Till, Lexaley Jo and Ashley Ann Wiktorik, and Zachary Mewis.

Friends who wish may make memorial gifts to the:

Bellville Hospital

P.O. Box 977

Bellville, Texas 77418