Don Gordon Oldham

Don Gordon Oldham, was born November 19, 1925 at 6:35 pm in Salt Lake City, UT to Donald Hibbard Oldham and Afton Ellis Oldham. Eighteen months later his sister, Marydene, was born. His father and mother divorced when he was three years old.

Dad had very fond memories of his childhood in Utah. He remembers swimming in irrigation canals, building rafts with his buddies to float through the orchards, ice skating on the frozen ponds, sledding down the hills covered with snow, and snow skiing.

When Dad was eight years old, both his mother and father had relocated to southern California due to the job market. The name of the first school Dad attended in California was the Cortez Street School.

His parents decided to give marriage another chance. But again, the marriage did not last.

In 1938, Dad’s Mom bought her first home. It was located at 9225 San Vincente Avenue, South Gate, CA. Dad was in the 7th grade and attended Victoria Avenue School.

Dad started the 9th grade at South Gate High School. Dad had always excelled at sports, but in high school, his natural abilities would really start to shine.

Dad had always worked during his summer vacations. And the summer before his senior year, he had enough money to buy his first car. It was a 1934 black, Ford coupe. And to quote Dad: “It was a beauty!”

Dad was the quarterback and team captain in his senior year. That team not only took the league championship, but they were also undefeated and only scored on once their whole season. And later that year, he set the 880 track record for South Gate High.

In Dad’s junior year, a young lady named Ardella Mae Jacobson, started to notice a young football star named Don Oldham.

One Sunday in Sunday school, Ardella was surprised to see Don and his girlfriend sitting across from her. She noticed he kept glancing at her. So she waited until the next time he looked at her, and she gave him a big wink. When reminiscing about this story Dad would Dad say:

“Yes. She was so beautiful I couldn’t stop staring at her.”

A few weeks before graduation, Dad took our Mother to pick out an engagement ring. Dad had taken the Army Air Corp Cadet exam and passed and was accepted. This allowed Dad to finish his senior year instead of being drafted on his 18th birthday. The following morning after graduation, Dad reported at 6:00 am for his Army Air Corp Cadent Training induction.

In December 1944, Dad returned home for a 10-day leave. While on leave, Mom and her parents, and Dad and his Mother, drove to St. George, Utah where Dad and Mom were married on December 21, 1944 in the St. George Utah temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On September 12, 1945, their first child Suzanne Adell was born. It would be many months before Dad would see his first child.

In June of 1946, almost 2 years to the day, Dad was honorably discharged from the military and returned home.

Upon returning home, Dad was offered football scholarships from UCLA and St. Mary’s College.

But rather than play football, Dad decided to focus on his young family.

Dad and Mom moved into a small house next door to his Mother in South Gate. Their second child, Don Gordon Oldham, II was born on March 10, 1949.

In 1950 our parents started building their first home. It was being built by Mom’s Dad, Marvin Jacobson, who was a building contractor.

At that time Dad was working as a truck driver. By the time Mom and Dad moved into the house in 1951, Dad was employed by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

On September 24, 1953, their third child Gayle Janet was born.

October 2, 1965, their fourth child Marshall Ellis was born.

We were a very close-knit family. Our parents would take us snow skiing in the winter, and in the summer water skiing and to the beach. We were often envied by our friends. We frequently would go to the beach in a week more often than most of our friends would go to the beach during the whole summer.

In 1956, Dad was promoted to engineer. In 1959, Dad was promoted to captain. And in 1970, Dad was promoted to battalion chief.

Dad loved being a firefighter. He said that he never had a day in his career that he did not look forward to going to work.

That’s not to say that firefighting is easy. It could be very dangerous. There were times when he was taken to the hospital after a fire for smoke inhalation.

We also remember him coming home with his eyebrows almost completely burned off with burn marks on his face.

But Dad truly loved his job!

Due to mandatory retirement at age 60 in the Los Angeles County Fire Department, in 1985 Dad would retire after 34 years.

After 36 years of living South Gate/Downey area, my parents moved to a newly built home in Corona, California.

Over the years, even after all of us children married and had our own families, our whole family would still go on snow ski trips together to places like Mammoth and Utah, and we would also go on water skiing vacations to the Colorado River.

If you were to ask any of my parent’s grandchildren: “Who taught you how to snow ski and how to water ski?” They would all say: “Grandma and grandpa.”

All of us children were very good skiers. But our Dad was fabulous! Dad could have been a ski instructor in any resort in America. The last time our parents' snow skied, they were both 80 years old.

After Dad’s retirement, Mom and Dad would devote one week a month serving in Los Angeles California temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and later in the Redlands California Temple. Dad was a supervisor. They continued this service for over 22 years until my Mom’s passing.

In 2008, the day after Thanksgiving, our Mother would pass. Our parents had been married for almost 64 years.

Until well into his 90’s, Dad continued to care for his yard, clean his pool, and enjoyed gardening, especially caring for his roses. He liked to putter with projects all around the house. He continued to enjoy holidays and time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

At 6:30 pm, March 19, 2021, our Dad peacefully passed away in his home surrounded by family and loved ones. He was 95 years old.

His funeral services will be held on April 30, 2021 at 11:00 am at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier, CA 90601-1626. (562) 699-0921. www.rosehills.com.