William (Bill) Dewey Oden, Jr., was born in El Paso, Texas on June 2, 1932, and reached the shores of eternity on February 11, 2018, surrounded by family in his home in El Cajon, California. He was 85 years old.
Bill is survived by Maxine, his loving wife of sixty-seven and a half years; by their six children, Suzanne, Randy, Cheri, Mary, Steve, and Patty. He is also survived by his sixteen grandchildren and twenty-six great grandchildren.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Dewey and Elizabeth Oden; his siblings, Betty Walker, Mary Olson and David Oden.
When he was a young boy, the family moved west to La Mesa, California. Even at a young age Bill was a hard worker. Wearing his cowboy hat, he delivered newspapers through La Mesa, “The Jewel of the Hills” riding his horse, Tarzan and with his trusted dog, Bum by his side. He also worked for a local rancher herding cattle in Mission Valley. At the end of his freshman year at Grossmont High School, the Oden family returned to the El Paso Valley. While attending high school there Bill met his forever-love, Maxine Cox. They were high school sweethearts and married August 18, 1950.
Bill and Maxine welcomed three children while living in a home at the El Paso Natural Gas Company camp community. In 1954, way out by the Texas – New Mexico state line, two servants of God arrived in camp with the Gospel story. Bill and Maxine found in the gospel message their greatest forever-love that would shape their lives and their home. In 1956 the young Oden family went west to the San Diego area where they settled and welcomed three more children into their family.
While Bill and Maxine were busy raising children and earning a living, they learned Spanish. Their world grew and was enriched as they included many dear Spanish speaking friends and workers into their daily lives.
Bill wore many hats in his lifetime. With the help of others he was a tool and die maker, a Pure-Flo water man, a commercial electrician, and a distributor of BG products. Once retired, Bill wore the hat of a helper wherever he was needed. The one hat he never took off was that of a loving husband, father, and trusted friend to many.
A gentle-hearted inspiration to all, Bill’s honesty, integrity and depth of faith is left behind in spirit and imprinted on our hearts
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