Karen Brown Oldham

Karen Brown Oldham, 64 of Sanford passed away Wednesday October 6, 2021. Funeral services will be held at 3:00pm Friday at Cool Springs Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the Cameron Grove Cemetery.

Mrs. Oldham was born in Winston Salem, daughter of the late Robert Henry “Bob” Brown and Carole Yow Brown. She was preceded in death by a son, Justin Matthew Wright and her brother, Reggie Brown. She enjoyed reading, movies, painting by numbers and her time at the beach. She was a graduate of Benhaven High School, Sandhills Community College and Methodist University.

Karen spent her life striving to help others and centered her career in the area of healthcare. She worked for Cape Fear Valley Hospital, St. Joseph of the Pines and most recently, with Eurofins. Although she enjoyed her time with these organizations, her greatest joy was working with Volunteers of America and the NC PACE Program, which provides all-inclusive care for the elderly. She spearheaded the expansion and building of two new facilities in Fayetteville, NC and Durham, NC. She continued to advocate for seniors by serving on the Lee County Senior Services Advisory Board.

Special thanks to her health team at Duke Cancer Center and First Health Hospice for their wonderful care during her time of her illness. Her family would also like to honor Karen’s desire to improve the care and quality of life for seniors by encouraging others to make contributions to the Lee County Enrichment Center in her honor.

Surviving are two sons, Ryan Hedgepath (Holly) of Broadway, and John Robert Wright (Lucia) of Hillsborough; daughter-in-law, Terri Wright of Spring Lake; sister, Lisa Godwin (Rocky) of Topsail Beach; grandchildren, Natalee Wright, Camden Wright, MacKenzie Hedgepath and Ariel Wright.

The family will receive friends at the Church beginning at 2:00 pm Friday prior to the funeral service.

Memorials can be made to The Enrichment Center, Inc. - The Helping Fund, 1615 South 3rd St., Sanford, NC 27330.