Obituary of Merwin LeRoy (Merv) Odenbaugh

Merwin LeRoy (Merv) Odenbaugh passed away at his home in Chapel Hill, NC, on November 22, two days after his 87th birthday. A funeral mass was celebrated at the Newman Catholic Student Center Parish in Chapel Hill at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 29, 2024, with burial following at Rosehill Cemetery in Minot, ND at a later date.

Merv was born in Fargo, ND, on November 20, 1937. He grew up in the Badlands of western North Dakota and graduated from Beach High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track. He worked summers in the Montana oil fields while attending the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from UND in 1960 and went to work for the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Grand Forks. He married his college sweetheart, Kathleen (Kay) Corbett. Together, they raised two daughters, Susan and Amy, and enjoyed the company of their Miniature Schnauzer, Toto.

While working at the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Merv earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from UND in 1965. A fellowship from the U.S. Bureau of Mines allowed him to complete a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from UND in 1966.

After finishing his studies, Merv enjoyed a successful career in manufacturing and engineering, working at American Crystal Sugar in East Grand Forks, ND; DuPont Research and Development in Circleville, OH; and Kaiser Aluminum in Spokane, WA. At Kaiser, he developed a new system to collect and scrub gas emissions at the company’s Mead helped the company meet compliance guidelines without sacrificing production capacity.

For the last 26 years of his career, Merv worked for 3M, based in St. Paul, MN. He held a variety of manufacturing and engineering positions in the Decorative Products Division, the Industrial Tape and Specialties Division, and, finally, in International Engineering, where he was International Engineering Manager, Asia Pacific, and Area Engineering Manager for Latin America, Africa, and Canada.

Merv had a life-long love of travel and learning. He and Kay lived in Hong Kong for two years while he traveled throughout Asia for 3M. He also traveled extensively in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe, and Africa. Other favorite pastimes included listening to country music, golfing, and fishing.

Merv is survived by Kay, his wife of 64 years; daughter Susan Adams and her husband Paul Canada of Chapel Hill, NC; daughter Amy Odenbaugh and her husband Jim Dietz of Cary, NC; and grandchildren Robert, Alexander, and Elizabeth Adams and Nora Dietz. He is also survived by sisters Ginna Nees of Missoula, MT; BJ Jenkins of Kent, WA; and Bonnie Hattenburg of Dalton Gardens, ID; brother- in-law Victor Corbett, MD of St. Paul, MN; brother-in-law James Corbett, MD of Ann Arbor, MI: and by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Irene (Ueckert) and Joseph Odenbaugh; brother-in- law Donald Corbett; nephews Guy and Steven Corbett; and nephew Steve Jenkins.

Memorial donations may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Richardton, ND or a charity of the giver’s choosing. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Dr. Russell Coletti and Dr. Adam Moskowitz.

Arrangements are in the care of Walker's Funeral Homes 11680 15-501 Chapel Hill, NC 27517 919.942.3861. Online condolences may be shared at www.walkersfuneralservice.com.