In tribute: Bill Odegaard put painstaking detail into his work

CLOVIS - How exactly did a man who grew up in a house without electricity or running water - and whose education ended after 10th grade - end his life with a multi-generation business halfway across the country?

It's because Bill Odegaard, family members and friends said, worked hard, did things the Christian way and gave painstaking detail to the automobiles he fixed and the people who owned them.

Odegaard, whose eponymous auto repair shop has been a Clovis fixture for nearly half a century, died July 11 at age 81.

"He was the best father you could ever ask for," said Johnny Odegaard, Bill's first son and one of several children and grandchildren who work at the business that rarely has a parking space at any of its three buildings due to its 21 employees and the numerous cars staff are repairing at any given time.

Bill - born Oct. 16, 1938, in Egeland, North Dakota - arrived in Clovis in 1959. He landed here after four years in the Navy, which took him in at age 17 after he'd worked a year on the railroad and helped him attain knowledge in aviation mechanics. He ended up in New Mexico because his brother was here and North Dakota's weather wasn't, and soon got a job at J&R Body because it was close to his knowledge base.

He learned enough after a dozen years under Roy Hutchison to open Bill's Auto Service in 1972 with just himself, his sons and a paint booth. The footprint has expanded since then, even after Bill technically retired in 2000.

The most recent upgrade came five years ago when main operations moved into the Seventh and Sycamore location that previously housed an alignment shop.

The business succeeded, his sons said, because he did what was right and built trust.

"He was a Christian," son Roger Odegaard said. "He was always making sure he was doing right by God."

That sometimes meant doing things that looked unwise on the surface.

"I would always see people who came in and said they needed money," Johnny Odegaard said. "He would always give them a loan, no matter what. I'm sure they always paid him back. But he helped time after time."

The trust was evident when The News visited the office on Thursday and found Norm and Tammy Boyce. The Boyces, residents of Clovis for about 25 years, were wrapping up their fifth time as a customer on Thursday. They hoped it would be their last visit, and they always say that, but they know they're always a hailstorm or an inattentive driver away from transaction No. 6.

"We're family here," said Tammy Boyce as she held the keys she couldn't wait to return to the rental car company.

The staff always offers the Boyces a final walkthrough to inspect the repairs, which Norm appreciates but dismisses with a laugh.

"We've never had to take a vehicle back for a little thing here and there," he said. "It's always done right the first time."

Bill always found time for an elk hunt, and celebrated his 80th birthday that way, and until three years ago made an annual trip to North Dakota to see his family. But he showed up to the office when he said he would, and he expected the same from everybody.

"It was 8 to 5, and you had better be 10 minutes early," said granddaughter Amber Owen, one of seven kids or grandkids employed by the shop. "He taught us a great work ethic."

Odegaard, born to a family of 12 children himself, married two times and raised seven children. He met his first wife, Wanda Moore, when she worked at the La Fonda Drive-In north of Clovis. They married in December 1960, starting a family with three daughters from Wanda's previous marriage. Shortly after the couple had Johnny, Wanda became ill and died in May of 1962.

His second marriage came to Mary Cattrell, who was a waitress at the Foxy Drive-In when they met. They were married in May 1965, with Johnny and the three daughters he adopted joining the two children Mary had from her prior marriage. They had Roger shortly into their marriage, and remained together more than 55 years.

He loved all of his children and grandchildren, but his heart also had a special place for the 1950 Chevrolet Deluxe he drove every chance he got. The vehicle saw countless routine drives to the shop, and usually made its way into every parade the city allowed.