​Odessa Drummond Gaither, 89, passed away peacefully on August 15, 2025 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

​Born March 10, 1936 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Mrs. Gaither was a woman who believed in a life of service and civic responsibility. Mrs. Gaither dedicated her career to teaching and shaping young minds in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System.

​Mrs. Gaither was a devoted member of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church for over 30 years and shared her faith and love of music at Mt. Pleasant and with the Big Four Choir. Mrs. Gaither had a vibrant and creative spirit, which she expressed through her love of sewing, drawing, painting, and quilting. Mrs. Gaither could always be found taking pictures, capturing pictorial memories or on a dance floor at family functions, she also enjoyed the mental challenges of solving Word and Sudoku Puzzles.

​Mrs. Gaither joins her husband, Napoleon C. Gaither Sr., her parents William and Jumell Drummond, sisters Margaret and Edna Drummond, and her brothers William, James, Robert, and Curtis Drummond, who all preceded her in death.

​Mrs. Gaither leaves behind a legacy of love and family, including her children: Sherlyn Coats, JoAnne (Charles) Allen, and Napoleon C. (Stephanie) Gaither Jr. Mrs. Gaither will also be dearly missed by her three grandchildren: LaShanda (Raymond) Hanna, Christopher (Veronica) Oakes, and Tiffany Richardson, as well as ten great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and her beloved friends.. A public viewing will be held Thursday August 21, 2025, from 1pm until 5pm at Douthit's. Funeral services will be held Friday August 22, 2025, at 12pm from Douthit's and interment will follow in Gardens of Memory. The family will receive friends at 11:30am. Arrangements are in the care of Douthit Funeral Services.