Family of the Year

At the State Convention banquet, we introduced the 2017 Texas Family of the Year, Larry and Beth Odom and their children.

Larry entered the Knights in 2008, and wanting to pace himself, only ran for Deputy Grand Knight a few months later. He was elected to Grand Knight in 2010, and led his council to Star Council and Lone Star Award for Excellence with Distinction. He was exemplified into the 4^th Degree in 2011. He served in a variety of other positions in his council, and is currently serving as Church Activities and Vocations Chairman with the Texas State Council. Larry us in his fourth term on the City of Hays City Council. He has donated over 3-1/2 gallons of blood over the years. He also donated a kidney to a high school friend he had not seen in over twenty-five years. He is a long-time assistant Scoutmaster.

Beth is a strong homeschool advocate. She has helped with the bi-annual Homeschool Dance in Austin. She has been a day captain for the 40 Days for Life campaign for several years, taking off only one campaign for the birth of Tarah. She is also a sidewalk counselor, and recently received news that a young woman chose life and gave birth to a health son because of her work.

The Odoms very involved within their church community serving as lectors, altar servers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, RCIA as sponsors of several people including an entire family, catechists, liturgy coordinator.

Their oldest son, Alex, joined the Knights when he turned 18. He graduated from Texas A&M, and in 2016 he entered the seminary at St. Joseph’s in Covington, Louisiana. The other children have and continue to serve as Altar Servers. The older children “graduate” from being Altar Servers to Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion once they are confirmed. Several of them also serve as catechists, in the hospitality ministry, and in the parish youth group.

One of the older daughters, Crystal, served with the Missionaries of Charity in India, and participated in the School of Life, a discernment program by the Community of St. Jean. In August, she will be joining the Apostolic Sisters of the Community of Saint John as a postulant. Another daughter, Sharla, began a pro-life rosary for teens; occasionally the Knights would join this rosary before their meetings. The younger children serve as they can, anxiously awaiting the opportunity to begin serving at the altar. Their youngest daughter was born on Easter Sunday 2014, and she has been known to “liven things up” at Mass from time to time.

They are involved in feeding the hungry, the Scouts, and the pro-life ministry. This is a family who lives the motto, “The family that prays together stays together.”