LYNCHBURG, Va. — Douglas Reed “Doug” Oldham, 79, of Lynchburg, Va., passed away peacefully on July 21, 2010.
Born in Akron, Ind., on Nov. 30, 1930, he was the son of the late William Dale Oldham and Pauline Edith Brown Oldham. He was married for 58 years to Laura Lee Oldham, who survives him.
Doug was an internationally known Christian and gospel recording artist. For nearly 50 years, Doug blessed the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people, both in his concerts and through television.
He soon met a high school teacher who was also a novice songwriter and pianist named Bill Gaither. They began traveling together on the weekends, with Oldham singing the new songs written by Gaither. Among the thousands of songs that Oldham has sung, he was the very first person to sing and record Gaither’s “He Touched Me” a song later recorded by Elvis Presley.
He was on the road quite a bit, having first traveled with evangelist Benny Hinn and with the Billy Graham Crusades. He later traveled by bus with the Rev. Jerry Falwell to church and school auditoriums as they raised money for the new Lynchburg Baptist College in the summer of 1971 and sang for many years on Falwell’s “Old Time Gospel Hour” program.
The Dove Award-winning artist recorded more than 65 albums and performed for national and international dignitaries, including former presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George Bush, as well as Prince Phillip and the Queen of England.
In November 2006, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three daughters, Paula (husband, John) Johnson of Lynchburg, Karen (husband, Garry) Offenbacker of Williamston, N.J. and Rebekah (husband, Lee) Cox of Madison Heights; five grandchildren, Jamaica (husband, Terry) Conner, John Johnson II, Jessica (husband, Nate) Johnson, Nathan Offenbacker and Emily Cox; and three great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be conducted at 3 p.m. Monday at Thomas Road Baptist Church with Pastor Jonathan Falwell officiating. Interment will be private.
The family request memorial contributions be made to the Oldham Concert Hall Scholarship fund, c/o Liberty University, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502.
To send condolences, please visit www.whittenfuneralhome.com or www.theheraldbulletin.com.
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Doug Oldham
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Douglas R. Oldham
Nov. 30, 1930 - July 21, 2010
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