Odessa McKee Franks, age 97, passed away peacefully while at home and under hospice care on February 21, 2024. Odessa was born to Lucille Hilliard and Charles Mckee in England, Arkansas, on February 4th, 1927. Her baptism as a child took place in the Mississippi River.
Odessa’s maternal grandmother, Emma Hilliard, raised her until she was eight. After Grandma Emma passed away, Odessa went to Hayti Missouri, to live wither her mother. She graduated from Central High School in Hayti, where she played basketball. On the court, she was known as “Slim”. After graduation, she moved to St. Louis to work for her Uncle Joe Hilliard, who owned a grocery store.
At 21 years old, Odessa moved to Chicago, where she met her husband. Clemis Franks Sr., who was in the Navy. In 1948, Clemis brought her to Massachusetts, where he was stationed. They had five children- the late Regina (Malika), Barbara Ann, Omar Abdullah (Clemis Jr.), Ricardo, and Rene.
Odessa worked hard in various positions, including as an ekavator operator at Jordan Marsh, a secretary at Columbia Home Appliance at Grove Hall, a secretary at Massachusetts General Hospital, and at Boston City Hall for Mayor Kevin White. She retired from the Harriet Tubman House where she also worked as a secretary until 1989.
In 1972, Odessa bought her home with her daughter, Barbara, which became a home and a safe place for her many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, whom she loved dearly and who loved dearly and who loved playing in the backyard. Odessa spent her spare time as a seamstress, making clothes for her family. Her sweet potato pie and tea cakes were legendary and highly sought after by everyone who knew her. While the recipes have been passed down, no one can ever quite make them the same.
As she aged, Odessa decided to use her purple hurricane instead of a walker. Nevertheless, when she turned 96, a fall made her realize she needed the walker after all. She was a faithful attendant of her exercise class every Tuesday and Thursday until November 2023. Odessa entered hospice at her home on Feburuary 5th, 2024 only a day after her 97th birthday.
Odessa was preceded in death by her husband, Clemis Sr., daughter Malika, and her grandson, Anthony. She leaves to grieve four children, ten grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren., Soryha Franks and Weston Kimball, who all know her to be the best Mother and Grandmother ever.