Leo Joseph Campbell was the only child of Theresa Mary
(McCarthy) and James Joseph Campbell, born in a farmhouse in
Jacksonville, New Brunswick on February 6th,
1947. He spent his early years likely keeping his older
parents very busy. One story of his childhood adventures tells of how
he made his way, unbeknownst to his parents, to the very back of the
farm (which went clear back to Route 550) accompanied by the family
dog. He was found by his admired uncle Dan (who happened to rescue him
another time or two that he recalled) certainly much to the relief of
his mother and father. Mysteriously, the dog disappeared immediately
after.
The farm was sold when Leo was young. The Campbells ran the
Hardscrabble store for a period of time, over which they lived, and
which is still standing at the intersection in Upper Woodstock.
Leo’s father, Joe, also ran the local Nelson Monuments
business, and Leo has recounted stories of digging graves and setting
stones. The family lived just off of Broadway Street for a while, then
later on his father built a house in Upper Woodstock. As a teenager,
Leo enjoyed playing hockey on the river with his buddies. The same
skates he donned at age 16 lasted him much of his skating life, as he
wore them in the old Woodstock arena with his kids as well, needing
only one set of blade replacements. Skating was a favorite pastime of
Leo’s that he shared with his children, right up until a few
years ago when he could not safely continue to anymore.
In 1970, Leo married his best friend and love of his life,
Gail Diane Randall, daughter of Marguerite and Eric Randall. Leo and
Gail celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary
a few short weeks ago, this past December
19th. The two spent their early days
together sharing a love of snowmobiling and happily “mucking
about” in nature, simply enjoying their time together. In 1972,
Leo obtained a teaching position in Marystown, Newfoundland, so they
headed over and lived for a year in the home of Adela (Addie) and
William Pittman, whom they adored. Money was especially tight in those
early years, and there are numerous tales about the character-building
challenges encountered driving the old Ford van there and back,
amongst other voyages. Following his school year in Newfoundland, the
couple returned home. Leo took a teaching position in McAdam, then
moved to Southern Carleton School. Their daughter, Misty Dawn
Campbell, was born on March 1st, 1976, and
immediately and permanently became ‘daddy’s little
girl’ and lifelong sidekick. A school year was spent in
Gorham, Maine from 1979 to 1980, as Leo worked to complete his
Education degree at the University of Maine. The family lived in a
tiny apartment there with their young daughter, in which, apparently,
they slept on mattresses on the bedroom floor where the occasional
mouse ran across, but all their daughter fondly recalls is her
wonderful 4th birthday celebration where her
mother amusingly made her pop the balloons as she plugged her ears in
the other room, and the fun kid downstairs with his guinea pig and
beaded doorway. This was their gift as parents – life never
seemed lacking, and love was always plentiful. On February 17, 1981,
they gained a son, Casey Ryan Campbell. As Leo’s daughter
Misty has always been told, “My land, you are
just like your father!” in looks,
personality and quirks, Casey was dark haired and brown-eyed but has
inherited his father’s sturdy, strong build, quick wit, and
sense of humour. As his son grew up, Leo could be heard routinely and
proudly bragging about his boy’s hockey skills and strength.
Leo spent the rest of his teaching career at Woodstock Junior High
School, from where he retired in 2003. He was always a much-loved
teacher by his students. He kept his shop immaculate and in excellent,
organized order, while he taught with a calm kindness and
understanding for all of his pupils.
Leo was an avid genealogist, and has thoroughly documented
his family history, even making a trip in the mid 80s to Ireland where
he met distant relatives and visited family homes. He has always
maintained especially strong ties with his McCarthy family on the
Grand Falls Portage, where his grandfather donated the land upon which
St. Patrick’s Church resides. He was a great storyteller,
and always provided more than enough details when describing
situations and tales from his history.
After retirement, Leo fully took on the role of Grampie to
his twin grandsons, Spencer Ryan and Noah Joseph Walton, who were born
on July 22, 2000. The boys loved their grampie, and adored building
and creating all sorts of things with him over the years. He designed
and helped build his daughter’s home in 2001, just as he
designed and built his own home in 1975. He also did planning and
design for numerous other buildings in the area over the years, and
had some involvement with the local Habitat For Humanity organization.
His love of snowmobiling and woodworking were constants in his life,
with Ayers Lake being a favourite destination and his shop in the
garage being where he spent a lot of his time.
In his later years, Leo and Casey enjoyed not only the
relationship as father and son but formed a great friendship. Leo also
got to experience the joy of two more grandsons, Bowen Leo Campbell
and Jaxton Eli Campbell, born on April 24, 2019, and October 29, 2020,
respectively. Even though Leo had begun to suffer some symptoms of
dementia by this time, he always lit up whenever he saw these little
boys and loved playing and talking with them.
Casey’s wife, Amanda, along with Robert Kitchen,
Misty’s partner, were welcome additions to Leo and
Gail’s family, and have rounded it out
nicely.
Leo was admitted to hospital on New Year’s Day,
with a lung infection that suddenly and dramatically deteriorated his
condition and he passed away at the Upper River Valley hospital in the
evening of January 13, 2021, with family by his side.
Leo was loved and known for his kindness, intelligence, broad
spectrum of knowledge, woodworking skills, sense of humour and gentle
manner (with a little Irish feistiness mixed in) by all who knew him.
He is, and will always be, incredibly missed.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Leo Joseph Campbell 1947 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Jacksonville, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick