Q: I have an old apple id address in my icloud account that I cannot erase because I do not have the old password.  the reset page does not work either

You cannot.

try here: https://iforgot.apple.com

Yes.

TO change id on the phone you do not need any password. You just go in settings / itune store and click on your id.You sign out and input your new id.

FR Tecmobility is wrong, sure he means well but what he suggests will not work - signing out of iTunes Store and back in will have no effect on iCloud. Try the steps at iOS 7: If you're asked for the password to your previous Apple ID when signing out of iCloud

You may need to contact apple tech support if none of the password change methods work for you. Ask for Account Security. They will need to verify identity, to ensure you are who you claim to be. If that goes well, they can send a password rest e-mail to any e-mail you desigate, so make sure it is one you can access.  Then reset the password. Then you can delete the iCloud account (needs the password to turn off find My Phone/Activation lock)

keep data on phone, then sign in with your desired apple ID. Good luck. hope you get this sorted out.