Obituary of John Oldham

A Life of Honor, Service and Love

Two days after John Oldham’s 75th birthday, his body relinquished the Leukemia fight and his spirit was called home to be with Jesus on Wednesday May 27th, 2020. John grew up in the North end of Tacoma, graduated from Stadium High School, and convinced a group of friends to join the Marine Corps with him in 1964. He enlisted under the buddy system, served as a LCpl under D Company 1st Battalion and fought in Viet-Nam. John was honorably discharged in 1968 with many medals. On a sunny day in 1972, John won the heart of Nancy Jane and have been faithfully married for 47 years. Together they have three amazing children and six awesome grandchildren. John’s legacy and most treasured asset is his beautiful wife and family which he always attributed to God. John was a passionate and devout Catholic serving his community through the Knights of Columbus from St. Nicholas Parish. John through the Knights brought back Gig Harbor’s Blessing of the Fleet event after years of absence. He also served on various community committees and had a passion for the homeless. He believed everyone had the right to be treated with dignity, respect, and would never leave a man behind.

The Man and the Legends…

John has always been a humous jokester and the life of the party. Throughout the years, hunting and fishing experiences always resulted in death-defying adventures that he and his buddies could relive through numerous unbelievable but true stories. The desire to participate in John’s journeys usually outweighed the need for safety measures.

You’ll be greatly missed…

John cherished every moment and his family was his greatest legacy. John is survived through his beautiful wife Nancy Jane Oldham, his children Michelle Oldham-Smith, John Oldham, Mary Enos; his grandchildren Katelyn Oldham-Benway, Johnathen Oldham-Smith, Annaliese Oldham-Smith, Lily Oldham, Olivia Oldham-Smith and Amalia Enos; and John's sister Mary Jo Risse. He will always be remembered for his sense of humor, unconditional love, and zest for life! Thank you for the beautiful life you’ve given us.

Providing the COVID-19 ban is lifted, on Friday, August 7th a memorial mass will be said at Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in Gig Harbor and a full military funeral at Tahoma National Cemetery. Please visit John’s obituary for additional information: https://www.obituare.com/john-leslie-oldham-obituary-77108/