Lake Odessa (Ionia County, MI)

Notable Births & Deaths for Lake Odessa ...

Below is our list of notable people who were born, died or were buried in the area surrounding Lake Odessa. Please note that while we are collecting data on an ongoing basis, it's a big task and it's unlikely that our list will ever be more than a sample.

Roger Bruce Chaffee (Astronaut)
- He was born in Grand Rapids (MI) on February 15, 1935 (a Friday) and died in Cape Canaveral (FL) on January 27, 1967 (a Friday).
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Cape Canaveral is located in Brevard County, Florida.
- At the time of his death, he was 31.
- He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, which is located in Arlington County, Virginia.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Roger Bruce Chaffee<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Arlington National Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Arlington National Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Arlington National Cemetery
John Leonard Lavan (Major League Baseball)
- He was born in Grand Rapids (MI) on October 28, 1890 (a Tuesday) and died in Detroit (MI) on May 29, 1952 (a Thursday).
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Detroit is located in Wayne County, Michigan.
- At the time of his death, he was 61.
- He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, which is located in Arlington County, Virginia.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for John Leonard Lavan<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Arlington National Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Arlington National Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Arlington National Cemetery
Colonel Jack Robert Lousma (Astronaut - Skylab 2, USMC, aeronautical engineer)
- He was born in Grand Rapids (MI) on February 29, 1936 (a Saturday) (which is Leap Day).
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
Walter Clement 'Wally' Pipp (Major League Baseball)
- He was born in Chicago (IL) on February 17, 1893 (a Friday) and died in Grand Rapids (MI) on January 11, 1965 (a Monday).
- Chicago is located in Cook County, Illinois.
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- At the time of his death, he was 71.
- He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, located 26 miles [41.8 km] to the west northwest of Lake Odessa. The cemetery is located in Kent County, Michigan.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Walter Clement 'Wally' Pipp<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Woodlawn Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Woodlawn Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Woodlawn Cemetery
Don Quinn (Author)
- He was born in Grand Rapids (MI) on November 18, 1900 (a Sunday) and died in Los Angeles (CA) on December 30, 1967 (a Saturday).
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- At the time of his death, he was 67.
- He is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Don Quinn<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Carl Benton Reid (Actor)
- He was born in Lansing (MI) on August 14, 1893 (a Monday) and died in Hollywood (CA) on March 16, 1973 (a Friday).
- Lansing is located in Ingham County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the east of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Hollywood is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- At the time of his death, he was 79.
- He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills, which is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Carl Benton Reid<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Hollywood Hills
Burt Reynolds (Actor, director, producer)
- Full name: Burton Leon Reynolds, Jr.
- He was born in Lansing (MI) on February 11, 1936 (a Tuesday) and died in Jupiter (FL) on September 6, 2018 (a Thursday).
- Lansing is located in Ingham County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the east of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Jupiter is located in Palm Beach County, Florida.
- At the time of his death, he was 82.
- He is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Burt Reynolds<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Jack Rice (Actor)
- Born: Earl Clifford Rice
- He was born in Grand Rapids (MI) on May 14, 1893 (a Sunday) and died in Woodland Hills (CA) on December 14, 1968 (a Saturday).
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Woodland Hills is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- At the time of his death, he was 75.
- He is buried at Valhalla Memorial Park, which is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Jack Rice<1>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Valhalla Memorial Park (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Valhalla Memorial Park
Arzeno Eugene 'Stratosphere Man' Selden (High wire performer)
- He was born in Eagle (MI) on September 22, 1889 (a Sunday) and died in Fort Myers (FL) on February 12, 1951 (a Monday).
- Eagle is located in Clinton County and is 17 miles [27.4 km] to the east of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- Fort Myers is located in Lee County, Florida.
- At the time of his death, he was 61.
- He is buried at Deepdale Memorial Park, located 27 miles [43.5 km] to the east of Lake Odessa. The cemetery is located in Eaton County, Michigan.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Arzeno Eugene 'Stratosphere Man' Selden<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Deepdale Memorial Park
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Deepdale Memorial Park (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Deepdale Memorial Park
Sumner Maurice Spaulding (Architect)
- He was born in Ionia (MI) on June 14, 1892 (a Tuesday) and died in Los Angeles (CA) on April 10, 1952 (a Thursday).
- Ionia is located 14 miles [22.5 km] to the north of Lake Odessa. Both communities are located in Ionia County.
- Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles County, California.
- At the time of his death, he was 59.
- He is buried at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, which is located in San Diego County, California.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Sumner Maurice Spaulding<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery
Elizabeth Wilson (Actress)
- Full name: Elizabeth Elizabeth Wilson
- She was born in Grand Rapids (MI) on April 4, 1921 (a Monday) and died in New Haven (CT) on May 9, 2015 (a Saturday).
- Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- New Haven is located in New Haven County, Connecticut.
- At the time of her death, she was 94.
- She is buried at Oakhill Cemetery, located 28 miles [45.1 km] to the west northwest of Lake Odessa. The cemetery is located in Kent County, Michigan.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Elizabeth Wilson<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Oakhill Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Oakhill Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Oakhill Cemetery
Dick York (Actor)
- Full name: Richard Allen York
- He was born in Fort Wayne (IN) on September 4, 1928 (a Tuesday) and died in East Grand Rapids (MI) on February 20, 1992 (a Thursday).
- Fort Wayne is located in Allen County, Indiana.
- East Grand Rapids is located in Kent County and is 26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa (which is located in Ionia County).
- At the time of his death, he was 63.
- He is buried at Plainfield Cemetery, located 30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest of Lake Odessa. The cemetery is located in Kent County, Michigan.
- Additional References
- Find-A-Grave Memorial for Dick York<1>
- The Find-A-Grave entry for Plainfield Cemetery
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Plainfield Cemetery (Patience, this may take a moment).
- From Lake Odessa to Plainfield Cemetery

Footnotes ...

<1>	The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.