Colin Campbell, M.D.'s Obituary
Colin Campbell, M.D. died peacefully at his home in Memphis on Sunday, December 1, 2019, at age 92. Dr. Campbell was the son of Colin Campbell, Sr. and Margaret T. Campbell. He was born in 1927 in Washington, D.C., and as the son of a career naval officer, he lived in several places as a boy, including Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor invasion on December 7, 1941. Dr. Campbell graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, and went on to attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. His time at college was temporarily interrupted by military service. He was in boot camp training to be a Navy medical corpsman when World War II ended, and he returned to Stanford and graduated in 1949. He then went to medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he would meet Catherine Hayden, who became his wife of 54 years. Dr. Campbell graduated from medical school at McGill in 1953. His medical school roommate Dr. Joe Bender became a lifelong friend and confidant.After graduating from medical school, Dr. Campbell was a surgical intern at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. before moving to Florida with his wife Catherine. Dr. Campbell then practiced medicine as a general practitioner in private practice serving impoverished patients, with his wife Catherine as his nurse. They later moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he completed a residency program at the Hospital for Women of Maryland to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, followed by a Masters in Education from Temple University in Philadelphia while he was on staff as an Obstetrician-Gynecologist.Over his many years as a practicing physician, Dr. Campbell practiced the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology in Baltimore, Maryland, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Campbell served as an Assistant Dean and later Associate Dean at The University of Michigan Medical School, where he practiced medicine and served as an educator and administrator from 1964 – 1978. He served as the Dean of the School of Primary Medical Care at the University of Alabama-Huntsville from 1978 – 1983, and finally as the Dean and Provost, then President, of Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (now NEOMED) in Rootstown, Ohio from 1983 – 1992, where he retired.Dr. Campbell delivered countless babies in multiple states during his career and he was passionate about excellence in medical education. As a medical educator he positively influenced many medical students and colleagues.Dr. Campbell was a runner and tennis player in his earlier years. He was also an avid reader and historian, taking particular interest in World War Two and the American Civil War. Upon his retirement in 1992, he was fortunate enough to travel with his wife Catherine to Europe, Asia, and Africa, and they often spent summer months together in her native Nova Scotia, Canada. He was a thoughtful provider to his children and grandchildren and always maintained an interest in what his grandchildren were doing. Dr. Campbell also loved to play card games, especially bridge, and thanks to a stalwart group of card playing friends, he was able to continue playing bridge until almost the very end of his life. Dr. Campbell also loved many dogs and cats during his lifetime.Dr. Campbell was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Catherine Campbell, by his parents Colin Campbell, Sr. and Margaret T. Campbell, by his half-sister Margaret Hewitt Bolt, and by his niece Leslie Bolt Dennis. Dr. Campbell is survived by his daughters Catherine Campbell Umland (Peter) of Victoria, British Columbia and Janet Kingsland Kemperman (Vince) of Hudsonville, Michigan, and his son Phil Campbell (Karen) of Memphis, along with his grandchildren Anna Umland, Abigail Umland, Christopher Kemperman, Kyle Kemperman, Katie Kemperman, Cameron Kemperman, and MacKenzie Campbell. He is also survived by extended family members in the United States and Canada, including Helen Groves of San Antonio, Texas, the Goshorn and Wright families of Leesburg, Virginia, Jeffrey Dennis of San Diego, California, and Brian Dennis of Altadena, California, Ria and Hinni Martens of Buffalo New York, Susan MacDougall of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Adam Bell of Germantown, Maryland, Bill Sproull of Mississauga, Ontario, Anne Sproull of Vancouver, British Columbia, Jane Gibson of Ancaster, Ontario, Susan Irvin of Ottawa, Ontario, and Ann Cantley of Halifax, Nova Scotia.He also leaves behind good bridge-group friends in Memphis like Jean Williamson, Larry Goode, Rita Robbins, Pat Bogan, Martha McKee, Paul, and Marjorie Brown, Carolyn Williams, Marilyn Powell, Marie and Don Stark, and professional colleagues and long-time friends in various places, such as Dr. Jan Schneider, Dr. Bill Ledger, Jim and Denise Boex, Peter and Nan Ryerson, and Shirlee Kaplan.Dr. Campbell’s family has many people to thank. The family gratefully acknowledges the compassionate care of Dr. Robert Burns and the entire office of Geriatrics Group of Memphis during Colin Campbell’s last few years of life, and the devoted care of Dr. Eugene McKenzie for many years prior to Dr. Burns. The family is also especially thankful for the help of loyal caregivers who assisted Dr. Campbell through Senior Care Management Solutions in Memphis, especially Linda Dinkins, Versie Hughes, Vatisha Lee, Angela Campbell, Shavon Stevens, Mary McCannon, and Dedrick Geralds. The family is also grateful for the assistance of Baptist Trinity Hospice Nurse Madelyn Smith, who provided bedside care in his final hours of life at home and worked to keep Dr. Campbell as comfortable as possible. The family thanks Rev. Dr. Randy McCloy of Church of the Holy Communion for his pastoral visitation and administration of Last Rites. The family also thanks Dr. Carolyn McCutcheon and the staff of Park Avenue Animal Hospital for caring for Dr. Campbell’s dogs Brie and Cici, and later his cats Winston and Missy.Dr. Campbell will be buried alongside his wife Catherine at Abercrombie Cemetery in Nova Scotia, Canada.The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Dr. Campbell’s honor to the Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc., 785 Jackson Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38107.A funeral service for Dr. Campbell will be held at Church of the Holy Communion, Episcopal, 4645 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, in Cheney Hall at 1:00 p.m. on January 3, 2020.
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