Oscar moved from Kentucky to California as a small child. He joined the Army and was just barely out of basic training when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Fortunately he wasn't on duty that morning and was meeting a buddy for breakfast. He continued to serve his country through the Korean War and retired from the service when they started talking about sending him to Vietnam. Even after he left the Army he worked as a security guard at Sacramento Army Depot until it closed.
Oscar was preceded in death by his beloved, beautiful redhead Oletha Glyn Lanham. I first met Oscar at the reception after her funeral. Several weeks later I went to work for him. Cleaning his house, fixing meals, etc. He would tell me that my coffee was the best he's ever tasted. He'd say the same thing about the homemade soup, meatballs and gravy and eggs. Then one day I discovered that he had lost his sense of taste when he lost his eye and suffered nerve damage in his face. For the next year and a half a friendship developed that has changed me forever. It was an honor getting to know Oscar. He had three different types of cancer. He rarely complained about the pain. He kept his sense of humor. One day I walked in as he was leaving a message on someone's voicemail. The message was "Mary and I are going to Reno to get married. Thought you'd want to be my best man...call me back" He hung up and started counting. Before he got to 100 his son returned his phone call. And in the end he only let go when I told him that I needed him to go and be with his beautiful redhead. Right up until his last breath Oscar was a true American hero.
Oscar received numerous medals throughout his military career. He was most proud of his medals for outstanding marksmanship. He represented his unit in competitions all over the world. He was also a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He enjoyed cooking breakfast for their fundraisers.
He left behind three sons, their wives and his beloved dog Sweetie.
A special thank you to jrrmr910 for sponsoring Oscar's memorial.
Oscar was preceded in death by his beloved, beautiful redhead Oletha Glyn Lanham. I first met Oscar at the reception after her funeral. Several weeks later I went to work for him. Cleaning his house, fixing meals, etc. He would tell me that my coffee was the best he's ever tasted. He'd say the same thing about the homemade soup, meatballs and gravy and eggs. Then one day I discovered that he had lost his sense of taste when he lost his eye and suffered nerve damage in his face. For the next year and a half a friendship developed that has changed me forever. It was an honor getting to know Oscar. He had three different types of cancer. He rarely complained about the pain. He kept his sense of humor. One day I walked in as he was leaving a message on someone's voicemail. The message was "Mary and I are going to Reno to get married. Thought you'd want to be my best man...call me back" He hung up and started counting. Before he got to 100 his son returned his phone call. And in the end he only let go when I told him that I needed him to go and be with his beautiful redhead. Right up until his last breath Oscar was a true American hero.
Oscar received numerous medals throughout his military career. He was most proud of his medals for outstanding marksmanship. He represented his unit in competitions all over the world. He was also a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He enjoyed cooking breakfast for their fundraisers.
He left behind three sons, their wives and his beloved dog Sweetie.
A special thank you to jrrmr910 for sponsoring Oscar's memorial.
Oscar moved from Kentucky to California as a small child. He joined the Army and was just barely out of basic training when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Fortunately he wasn't on duty that morning and was meeting a buddy for breakfast. He continued to serve his country through the Korean War and retired from the service when they started talking about sending him to Vietnam. Even after he left the Army he worked as a security guard at Sacramento Army Depot until it closed.
Oscar was preceded in death by his beloved, beautiful redhead Oletha Glyn Lanham. I first met Oscar at the reception after her funeral. Several weeks later I went to work for him. Cleaning his house, fixing meals, etc. He would tell me that my coffee was the best he's ever tasted. He'd say the same thing about the homemade soup, meatballs and gravy and eggs. Then one day I discovered that he had lost his sense of taste when he lost his eye and suffered nerve damage in his face. For the next year and a half a friendship developed that has changed me forever. It was an honor getting to know Oscar. He had three different types of cancer. He rarely complained about the pain. He kept his sense of humor. One day I walked in as he was leaving a message on someone's voicemail. The message was "Mary and I are going to Reno to get married. Thought you'd want to be my best man...call me back" He hung up and started counting. Before he got to 100 his son returned his phone call. And in the end he only let go when I told him that I needed him to go and be with his beautiful redhead. Right up until his last breath Oscar was a true American hero.
Oscar received numerous medals throughout his military career. He was most proud of his medals for outstanding marksmanship. He represented his unit in competitions all over the world. He was also a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He enjoyed cooking breakfast for their fundraisers.
He left behind three sons, their wives and his beloved dog Sweetie.
A special thank you to jrrmr910 for sponsoring Oscar's memorial.
Oscar was preceded in death by his beloved, beautiful redhead Oletha Glyn Lanham. I first met Oscar at the reception after her funeral. Several weeks later I went to work for him. Cleaning his house, fixing meals, etc. He would tell me that my coffee was the best he's ever tasted. He'd say the same thing about the homemade soup, meatballs and gravy and eggs. Then one day I discovered that he had lost his sense of taste when he lost his eye and suffered nerve damage in his face. For the next year and a half a friendship developed that has changed me forever. It was an honor getting to know Oscar. He had three different types of cancer. He rarely complained about the pain. He kept his sense of humor. One day I walked in as he was leaving a message on someone's voicemail. The message was "Mary and I are going to Reno to get married. Thought you'd want to be my best man...call me back" He hung up and started counting. Before he got to 100 his son returned his phone call. And in the end he only let go when I told him that I needed him to go and be with his beautiful redhead. Right up until his last breath Oscar was a true American hero.
Oscar received numerous medals throughout his military career. He was most proud of his medals for outstanding marksmanship. He represented his unit in competitions all over the world. He was also a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He enjoyed cooking breakfast for their fundraisers.
He left behind three sons, their wives and his beloved dog Sweetie.
A special thank you to jrrmr910 for sponsoring Oscar's memorial.
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