Harlem memorial for Odis Von Blasingame Jr., 76, former Daily News advertising salesman
A memorial service for Odis Von Blasingame, Jr., a former Daily News advertising salesman with strong community ties, will be held on Saturday in Harlem.
Von Blasingame died on Jan. 18, after a courageous battle with Parkinson's disease and dementia, his family said. He was 76.
Von Blasingame worked for more than 25 years at The News, where six times he was named Salesperson of the Year.
He played a pivotal role in supporting Black-owned businesses in Harlem through his work with the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, which honored him with its Harlem Outstanding Service Award.
'He served the Harlem community,' said his wife Gwendolyn, who was married to Von Blasingame for 47 years. 'He was able to showcase some of Harlem and the small businesses. He basically knew just about everyone. He made sure the businesses were prominent.'
Among his favorites was Londel's Supper Club on Frederick Douglass Blvd.
Von Blasingame's sendoff is also steeped in Harlem history. His memorial service will be held at noon on Saturday at Unity Funeral Home on Frederick Douglass Blvd. It was the same funeral home called into service after Malcolm X's assassination in 1965 and again more than 30 years later, when his widow, Betty Shabazz, died from injuries she suffered in a fire set by their grandson.
Von Blasingame was born in Washington, D.C. into community activism. As an infant, his family became the first Black residents of River Terrace in Washington, facing hostility and violence as they integrated the neighborhood.
They received threatening phone calls, rocks through the window of their home and fires set in their garden.
Von Blasingame's high school years gave him the opportunity to study abroad in London, sparking a lifelong love of travel.
He attended Mackinaw College in Michigan and Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he graduated in 1970 with a degree in political Science and History.. After graduation, he backpacked across Europe before returning home to earn a Master's degree in Urban Planning from Howard University.
His career took him to North Carolina, where he worked in college radio sales, and later to New York City, where he worked in sales for the Metropolitan Opera before moving to The News.
In 1978, Von Blasingame married Gwendolyn Greene after meeting her at a party in Harlem. They settled on the Upper West Side and raised two daughters, Kara and Sasha.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requested that donations be given to the Uptown Grand Central in Harlem, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming E. 125th St. through the planting of trees and flowers.
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