Mary Catherine Oldham

Mary Catherine Oldham, who everybody knew and loved as Katie, passed away on Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 at the age of 78. Katie was the beloved wife of the late LTCR George Roberts “Bob” Oldham of the United States Navy, and the mother to three sons: the late Anderson Oldham and her two surviving sons, Bryan Oldham of Chantilly, VA and Brad Oldham of Jersey City, NJ. She is also survived by her older brother Albert George, who resides in Anderson, IN. She is a grandmother to three: Julia Oldham of Rockville, MD, Zoe Oldham of Ashburn, VA and Noah Oldham of Lexington, KY.
Katie was born in Greenville, SC on June 10th, 1941 to Albert and Alice George. She graduated from Greenville High School and then attended Furman University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education. She spent her early years after marriage as a dedicated Navy wife and mother, moving around from Naval base to Naval base with Bob and her three sons. When Bob retired from the US Navy in 1982, the family returned to their hometown of Chantilly, VA where she would spend the rest of her life. For 16 years, she was a public school teacher for Fairfax County, including several years as a teacher’s aide for emotionally disturbed children at Brookfield Elementary School.
Katie was a devout Christian and was an extremely passionate and loyal member of the Pender United Methodist Church family for 37 years, attending Sunday morning worship services weekly with her family as well as participating and teaching Sunday School classes. She was a founding member of the “Prayer & Praise Worship Group”, which gathered every Sunday evening in the church sanctuary for years. She volunteered for the children’s summer Vacation Bible School Program as well as the “Fun With Music” program every Friday morning, and was on the Board of Trustees for the Pender Annual Missions Conference Committee, which included hosting international missionaries at her home. Many people in the Pender congregation would refer to her as “Sweet Katie”. Her life revolved around loving and caring and educating children. She was an avid sports fan of all the Washington D.C. area teams, but especially the Nationals and the Redskins. She enthusiastically cheered on the Nationals throughout their Playoff run to winning their first World Series last Fall.
A private burial service was held for family on Friday morning, May 29th at Stonewall Memory Gardens in Manassas, VA. She is buried with her husband Bob. A memorial service to honor and celebrate the wonderful life of Katie Oldham will be scheduled at Pender Methodist once allowed.
 

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