Roy Oakford passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on May 18, 2015.
He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Joan, two daughters, two sons, one step-daughter and one step-son; Melanie (Stan) Wood of Severna Park, MD, Cory (Lisa) Oakford of Fredericksburg, VA, Carolyn (Al) Ullman of Wake Forest, NC, Doug (Wendy) Oakford of South Riding, VA, Melissa (Bob) Hails of Herndon, VA and Jeff (Jessica) Grondine of Germantown, MD;twelve grandchildren, Connor (22), Chase (20), Taylor (18), Bobby (18), Michael (16), Hunter (15), Alex (14) Justin (13), Shannon (13), Kathryn (12), Will (11) and Audrey (2) and his sister, Sue Allison of Havertown, PA, and devoted canine friend, Charlie.
Roy was born in Philadelphia, PA to LeRoy Corson and Mildred Kershner Oakford and grew up in Havertown, PA. Roy attended and played several sports at Haverford High School and continued his education at Temple University. Roy married Carolyn Pedrick in Havertown in 1958 and they had four beautiful children. Roy and the family moved around the country while working in the hotel industry, including Akron, Oklahoma City, Omaha and Drexel Hill. Roy changed careers to work in the computer industry and eventually settled down in Rockville, MD in 1971. He had a successful career in sales and executive management.
Roy met the love of his life, Joan, and they married in 1987. Roy welcomed Joan’s wonderful two children into the family. The two families blended seamlessly into the large family today that enjoys spending time together. Roy and Joan made their life with the family in Gaithersburg, MD for 12 years and finally settled down in Gainesville, VA in 2003.
Roy made good friends amongst neighbors wherever he lived. Whether it was with the Flower Valley crew, the Stone Harbor beach bums, the Plum Creek gang, the “boat people” or the Heritage Hunt golden oldies, Roy was always sure to give you a good laugh and added extra life to any gathering. He lived a full life of love and laughter.
Roy’s passion for boating and the water, supported by his loving wife, Joan, was an integral part of their lives. They spent many countless weekends on their first boat, the Arcadia, exploring the Chesapeake Bay, which then lead to many happy years living aboard his pride and joy, the Blue Heron. Those years were truly the happiest times as he was living his dream.
Roy faced his health challenges head on through determination and pure will, which was evident by beating his battle with Multiple Myeloma in 2007.
He was a loving husband, a devoted father, an adoring grandfather and a wonderful friend to many. He will always be remembered by his beautiful smile, charismatic laugh and mostly his enormous heart full of love for his family. He believed in honesty, integrity, hard work and compassion which were evident throughout his life in relationships with family and friends and his career.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Baker-Post Funeral Home, 10001 Nokesville Road, Manassas, VA.
The funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 6750 Fayette St., Haymarket, VA 20169. A reception will immediately follow at the Marsh Mansion in Heritage Hunt located at 13451 Fieldstone Way, Gainesville, VA 20155.
A private interment will follow at a later time.
Please join us in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation in memory of Roy Oakford. Your support will help fund the therapies and treatments and help save lives today.
LLS's continued advancements over the years, are responsible for the blood cancer survival rate doubling and tripling; in some cases, the survival rate has even quadrupled. And many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients but are now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers. They're even being tested in clinical trials for patients with a range of cancers including lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. LLS funded drugs are now being tested for patients with other non-cancerous diseases like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.
We really are changing the face of blood cancer.
All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.
On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere we thank you for your support.
For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org