Bobby Louis Oldham's Obituary
Bob Oldham was born in Bellingham, Washington, on October 31, 1939, to Clara Sheline and James Oldham. His mother stated she didn't know if she got a trick or a treat. As she was married several times, the family lived in quite a few locations. Bob mostly spoke about his life in Ketchikan, Alaska, during the time he was six to twelve years old. He shared stories of his black cat Dynamite, his Alaskan dogs and what it was like to live in an unsettled area in Alaska. Years later he took his wife, Mary, to Ketchikan to revisit the general area where the family had lived.
Bob joined the U.S. Air Force at the age of 17, where he served as a Military Training Instructor. He was deployed to Morocco and also served in Vietnam. He retired from the Air Force after twenty years of active duty at the age of 37.
Bob attended St. Edward's and McMurray Universities earning Bachelor degrees in Business Administration, Science in Geology, and Psychology. He was employed at several safety jobs before taking a position as a Pipeline Safety Inspector with the Texas Railroad Commission. He relocated from Abilene to East Texas and settled in Longview. He retired from the Commission after twenty-two years of service and continued to work part-time for private concerns for several years.
Following the move to East Texas, Bob met Mary through mutual friends. The couple began dating and were married two years later. A few days before Bob's passing, they celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary. During their marriage they took every opportunity to travel, mostly to the Caribbean, Mexico, Italy, Alaska and plenty of warm places with beaches.
Occasionally they took a cruise as well and road trips to visit family and friends and see the country. One year they embarked on a week-long cruise to Honduras and Belize. After that week, they arrived back at port only to find their car still running. It made a great story to tell family and friends, and the reliable Prius V remained the family car for many years. Besides vacations, Bob enjoyed taking trips on his motorcycle with Mary perched behind him to places like Galveston and New Orleans. Eventually they bought her a bike and they took short trips to Jefferson and around the East Texas area.
Bob was preceded in death by his father, and step-mother, James and Alma Oldham, his mother Clara Humphreys, son Phillip Pedigo, brother Terry Franklin and sister Marlene Eiden.
Bob is survived by his wife Mary Oldham son Mark Oldham (Ute), daughter Rebecca Weirich (Stan), son Kevin McIntyre (Shelly), son Robert Pedigo; step-daughter Connie Helmlinger (John), step-son Brian Schafer; grandchildren Sarah Aucacama (Jonathan), Matthew Oldham (Emma), Sarah Plowman (Lance), Deanna DuBroc (Scott), Adam Weirich, Charity McIntyre, Ashley Pedigo, Logan Pedigo (Katie), Felicia Helmlinger; brother Jerry Miller (Linda), sister-in-law Robbi Franklin, brother-in-law John Swauger (Cathy); nephew Jeffrey Brooks and five great-grandchildren.
Bob was a member of First United Methodist Church of Longview for thirty-five years. He enjoyed teaching Sunday School and loved his Alpha Omega class. He belonged to the Society of St. Stephen and for a time was Chairperson. He was on the Board at Longview Community Ministries for several years serving as a liaison with the Society of St. Stephen.
After his retirement from work and during Mary's treatment for cancer, Bob signed on to be a volunteer at the Longview Cancer Center. Helping the patients and their families provided great joy for Bob. He made lasting friends among the volunteers and found great satisfaction serving the patients. He remained at the Cancer Center for several years until his health began to fail and Covid sent the volunteers home.
Thus began several years of his own poor health: Falls, head injuries, ER and hospital visits. He bore his downfall with uncomplaining grace, and God took him home on August 15, 2024 at the age of 84.
Services for Bob Oldham will be held September 14, at 2PM with visitation at 1PM at Rader Chapel in Longview. A private family graveside service with full military honors will take place the same morning at Rosewood Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Bob's memory to First United Methodist Church of Longview, Texas, or to Newgate Mission of Longview, Texas.
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