Michael Francis \u201cOdie\u201d O\u2019Dell, 77, of Helena, Montana, crossed over on February 21, 2026, at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center after an extended illness.\u00a0 Mike was born in Claremore, Oklahoma, on August 28, 1948, to Ada \u201cMeeks sah quah\u201d Levier.\u00a0 He was later adopted by Orville and Agnes (Burke) O\u2019Dell.\u00a0 He spent his early childhood in Topeka, Kansas, before moving with his parents to Helena.\u00a0 Mike attended St. Helena Grade School and graduated from Helena Catholic Central High School in 1966.<\/p>\n
A proud veteran, Mike served in the United States Army and was a veteran of the Vietnam War.\u00a0 After returning home to Helena, he married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Screnar, in 1971.\u00a0 Together they raised three children: Darcy (1972), Jennifer (1975), and Mark (1980).\u00a0 Weekend breakfasts were his specialty, especially French toast and omelets, though his family lovingly teased him that he never quite mastered fried eggs, add an Odie-ism here \u2013 \u201cthe mustard fell off the dog.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 We loved him despite that minor inability to fry an egg.<\/p>\n Mike worked for many years as a service technician for Capital Office Equipment & Design, where he was known for his skill, reliability, and easygoing humor.\u00a0 Mike coached Small Fry Football.\u00a0 He loved basketball and played several years in the city basketball league.\u00a0 Mike and Nancy played softball together for more than 10 years.<\/p>\n Did you know Mike was a car guy?\u00a0 His love of cars began early and never faded.\u00a0 As a young man he built and drove jalopies; the kind of rigs that would \u201cget up and go,\u201d stopping was optional.\u00a0 Family lore includes a Model A left in a creek near Clancy after one such adventure.\u00a0 Parking with enthusiasm!<\/p>\n When his children were young, Mike was an active member of the Frontier Four Wheelers Club, and his Jeep seemed to change colors every year.\u00a0 Later he returned to his hot\u2011rod roots, hand\u2011building a Model T Roadster with the help of friends.\u00a0 With a big\u2011block Chevy engine and the widest rear tires he could find, that car launched the family into many years with the Helena Street Rodders: car shows, hot rods, and lifelong friendships.<\/p>\n Eventually the drag\u2011racing bug bit.\u00a0 Mike and his son Mark purchased a rail and went racing, with the whole family in tow.\u00a0 The cars got faster, the team grew, and racing took Mike across the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n His final project was the restoration of an Oldsmobile 442 convertible.\u00a0 Friends and family poured their love into helping him complete it.\u00a0 Even as illness advanced, Mike was determined to debut the car at one last show, and he did.<\/p>\n Mike was a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, honoring his heritage throughout the later years of his life.<\/p>\n He is survived by his loving wife Nancy; his children Darcy, Jennifer, and Mark; grandchildren Mya Billman, Jenna O\u2019Dell, and Jayden O\u2019Dell; great\u2011grandchildren Bristal and Martha; and his beloved fur baby and driving partner Little Deuce Coupe. \u00a0He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.\u00a0 He was predeceased by his parents Orville and Agnes O\u2019Dell; his mother Ada Levier; his in\u2011laws Luke and Eva (Helfert) Screnar; his sisters Rita Finch and Mary (Vic) Beneventi; and his brothers Leonard Taylor, Gary Buskirk, and Edgar Levier.<\/p>\n He was a friend to so many people that you always had to add time to every outing to stop and chat with someone\u2026or five.\u00a0 Mike will be remembered for his love of family, his humor, his craftsmanship, his warrior\u2019s heart, and the way he carried his passions\u2014cars, family, and heritage\u2014with pride.\u00a0 As Odie would say, \u201cIt\u2019s time to blow<\/em>\u2011out of this soda pop stand,<\/em>\u201d<\/em> and knowing him, he probably left a little rubber on the way out.<\/p>\n The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers of the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center for the last seven months of compassionate and dignified care Mike received.<\/p>\n Visitation of the family will be held on Monday, March 2 from 4:00pm\u20136:00pm at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home.\u00a0 A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at noon at the Cathedral of St. Helena, with a reception afterward in the Brondel Center.\u00a0 The Rite of Committal with Military Honors will take place at the Montana State Veteran Cemetery on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at approximately 3:00pm, where he will be laid to rest with gratitude for his service.<\/p>\n The family invites members of the hot rod community to drive their classics in a procession from the Cathedral of St. Helena to the Montana State Veterans Cemetery in one last cruise to honor Odie; the procession will depart from the Cathedral at approximately 2:30p.m.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-ODell-cropped.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","service_status":"public","event_title1":"Family Receiving Friends","event_date1":"2026-03-02","start_time1":"4:00 p.m.","end_time1":"6:00 p.m.","location1":"Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home","address1":"3750 N. 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