OSCAR MARLIN HOLLEY's Obituary
Oscar Marlin Holley passed away on November 18, 2017, at the age of 89. He was born at his grandparent’s home in Willow Point, Texas on May 23, 1928, to Hubert and Julia Holley. Oscar grew up in Dallas with his siblings Margarette and Elmer. As a child, Oscar had an insatiable curiosity about how things worked. He often went to the library with a friend to research how to make various gadgets, planes, or other curiosities. He once asked his mother what he should do with a box of miscellaneous parts for the family radio that he took apart. It was also in childhood that Oscar came to faith in Jesus Christ at Forney Avenue Baptist Church in Dallas. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas in 1945, Oscar’s interest in electronics led him to join the Navy in 1946 at the age of 17. He excelled in engineering school and served as an instructor throughout his naval career. He married Dorothy Alice Lester on April 5, 1947. Upon leaving the Navy, Oscar worked as an electronic technician for Chance Vought in Dallas. In 1957, he moved his family to California to work for Hughes Aircraft Company. While there, he earned a B. S. in Mathematics from California State University at Long Beach. In 1964, he began his job at NASA, primarily working on display and monitoring systems for the Gemini and Apollo Programs. In 1966 he began his long tenure at Texas Instruments in Richardson where he worked on countless projects including the Arts 3 (Automated Radar Terminal System) that is used in air traffic control. At TI, he was selected as a Senior Member of the Technical Staff. After retiring in 1990, Oscar worked as a consultant for both Texas Instruments and Raytheon until 2006. A faithful husband to his wife Dorthy for 65 years until her death, Oscar lovingly cared for her through an extended illness. He lovingly cared for her through an extended illness. Many were amazed at his devotion to her, even though that meant fixing her hair, applying her make-up, and dressing her. Oscar continued to live fully in his last few years. Even while battling cancer, he taught a Sunday school class at First Baptist Church of McKinney where he was an ordained deacon. He also served as a chauffeur for several people who could no longer drive and visited home-bound people with his special friend Irma. Oscar has remained in close contact with his four children and enjoyed frequent visits and outings with all of them. In his spare time, Oscar loved to read and study, especially the Bible. Oscar will be greatly missed by many friends and family members. He was a man of few words, but his life spoke volumes about his core beliefs and his abiding faith in Jesus Christ. He was absolutely confident of his heavenly destination. As he said a few days before he died, “I’m trading in my earthly body in order to get my heavenly one.” Oscar is preceded in death by his wife Dorothy Holley, his parents Hubert and Julia Holley, and his sister Margarette Hodges. He is survived by his brother Elmer Holley and his four children, David and Joyce Holley of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Cynthia and Gary Harris of Denton, Texas, Pamela and JD Kennedy of McKinney, Texas, and Daniel Holley of Heath, Texas. He had 6 grandchildren, Joni, Chris, Matt, Megan, Andy, and Josh and 5 great-grandchildren, Margaret, Nathan, Grace, Camille, and Isaiah. Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, November 27th, at First Baptist Church of McKinney, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given “in memory of Oscar Holley” to International Mission Board, 3808 Monument Ave., Richmond VA 23230 or online at www.imb.org/give.
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