Odessa Luffman, age 99, went to be with her Lord on Sunday morning, Nov. 4, 2012, while at Woltz Hospice Home of Dobson, NC. She is survived by three daughters and one son-in-law - Rebecca Calloway of Garner, Nancy Davenport of Winston-Salem, Glenda White (Jack) of Concord; seven grandchildren - Reba Calloway Bowman (Joe) of Sanford, John Calloway, Jr (Carol) of Raleigh, Betty Calloway Storz (Mark) of Foxfire, Melissa White Oxendine of Winston-Salem, Valerie White Knight (Gray) of Winston-Salem, Derek Davenport (Sherri) of Houston, TX, Nicole Davenport Clark (Harold) of South Asia; eleven great grandchildren - Melinda and Ethan Bowman, Christopher, Ryan and Rachel Calloway, Ashley and Brook Storz, Noah and Anita Clark , Rachel and Stephen Oxendine. Other survivors include two sisters-in-law - Flora Luffman Tucker and Pearl Hinson Luffman, both of State Road. She was preceded in death by her husband Walker W. Luffman (1980), sons-in-law John Calloway (2008) and Howard Davenport (2012), her parents, John Avery and Betty Florence Cockerham Swift, and eight brothers and sisters - Marvin, Howard, Theodore, Evie, Irene and Maude Swift, Stacy Swift Hayes and Ina Swift Adams. Odessa was a very faithful member of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church and the WMU, and taught Sunday School for 60 years. She was the pioneer organizer of the WMU at her church in 1939 and served the first 15 years as President. When the WMU became a full-graded organization, she became the Director for 8 years and remained active in that organization for 61 years. She was an avid promoter of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offerings for International Missions and the World Hunger Offerings all those years. She served as Voter Registrar in Edwards Precinct III (Wilkes Co.) for 30 years. She was a local Avon sales representative a number of years. She was one of the hardest working farm women the area has known, an avid gardener, one of the area's best cooks, an excellent seamstress, and had numerous abilities in varied areas of life. She is remembered for her compassionate service in the community by faithfully visiting the sick and elderly and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. The family will receive friends and relatives at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 10, 2012. The funeral will follow and burial will be in the church cemetery. Memorials may be designated to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 1997 Pleasant Ridge Road, State Road, NC 28676. The daughters would like to express their appreciation to Heritage Care of Elkin for 12 years of care-giving, to Hugh Chatham Hospital and to Dr. Woodrow Faulk for many years of medical care, and to Woltz Hospice Home of Dobson for God-given, compassionate care, as well as all relatives and friends who reflected Christ's love to their mother.
