Odell Gaines, Jr's Obituary
Odell "Jit" Gaines, Jr., took his final bow on October 2, 2025, at the age of 86. He was born March 12, 1939, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a Chattanooga youngster, he hit all the high notes at Howard High School, where his tenor voice dazzled in a talent show, almost snagging a record deal! Known for his fancy footwork and great sense of humor, he earned the nickname "Jitterbug" or "Jit" for those in the groove, always making others laugh around him.
After school, he welded his way through life at Ross Mahan Foundry and later US Pipe Foundry, before taking a detour as a delivery driver for Moore and King Pharmacy via Erlanger Hospital.
Preceding him in the grand dance of life were his father, Odell Gaines Sr.; mother, Lina Taylor; grandparents, Andrew and Ida Brown; aunt, Andra Bell Culberson; sister, Billie Jo Gaines; son, Benjamin Gaines; grandson, Robert Eaton.
Carrying on his legacy are Monica (LuFrederick) Lyons of Scottsboro, AL, Odell Gaines III of Kissimmee, FL, Byron (Tiffany) Gaines, Rickey (Sherunda) Davis, Olain (Eunice) Jones, and Mary (Pastor Ronald) Tucker, all of Chattanooga, TN; bonus children, Anthony Warren, R. Michelle White, C. Deborah Collins, and C. Adam Collins III, along with a vibrant crew of grandkids, great-grands, cousins, and friends.
Odell will lie-in-state on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. at Taylor Funeral Home. Funeral service will follow at 12 noon in the Chapel. Burial in Forest Hills Cemetery.
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