Obituary: Dan Odegard

Dan Odegard, former owner of Odegard Books in St. Paul and Edina, Minnesota, died last Tuesday, March 31. Odegard, who was 69, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (plasma cancer) in 2010.

From 1978 to 1992, Odegard was co-owner, with his former wife, Michele Cromer-Poire, of Odegard Books. After the sale or closure of the Odegard stores, Dan Odegard worked for a bookstore and publishing consulting firm, in the trade publishing arm of Hazelden Publishing and Education, as a literary agent and publisher, and in a number of other positions related to the book industry. In later years, he was the administrative director of the Minnesota Waldorf School and most recently was director of administration for Project Pathfinder, a nonprofit agency providing outpatient mental health and treatment services for children, adolescents, and adults.

At a 2010 fundraiser in his honor, Odegard was celebrated by family and friends as a “literary legend,” the Pioneer Press reported.

A memorial service is being planned for mid-May. Memorial donations to the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota, will matched up to $500,000 until April 28.