Robert Martin Cameron's Obituary
Robert Martin Cameron was born on August 24, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Robert Murray Cameron and Jeanette Ostrowska Cameron. He was the youngest and only boy of four children. Robert grew up in Chelsea, MA, attending both Catholic and public schools. He also developed his aversion to chicken in Chelsea. His first job, while in High School, was to load the rotisserie chicken cooker in a shop in Harvard Square on the weekends. Way too much Chicken!Immediately after his high school graduation, Robert showed his intelligence by volunteering for the army, rather than face the draft during the Vietnam War. His initial posting was to Albuquerque, NM. He was then transferred to Nevada, where he spent the rest of his active duty guarding the Nevada Test Site.That assignment led to his life-long love of the Nevada desert. After leaving the Army, he went to work for a Test site contractor, Reynolds Electric Corporation. He married his first wife, Delores Palmer-Milner in 1965, and had his first daughter, Suzanne in 1966. He also attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and earned his Associate of Science degree in Radiological Health.In 1970, Robert married Sandra O’Callahan. They had two children, Robert Murray in 1973 and Catherine Jeanettte in 1976. That year, Robert also acquired full custody of Suzanne and earned his MBA, having previously earning his BS in Business Administration.Through the years, Robert was a contract manager for various government contractors, including Stone & Webster, Pyro Power, MacTec, TRW and Northrup Grumman. He also served as Steve Wynn’s Procurement Manager at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas for a couple of years.In 1997, Robert married his third, and last, wife, Jan Statler. To fulfill his adult-long dream, she gave up her career, moved to Amargosa Valley and became a ”kept woman.” They lived in Amargosa Valley until late 2011, when they moved to Memphis, TN, to be near better medical care and more cultural activities, not to mention grocery stores and electrical contractors. They enjoyed lots of music, theater and ballroom dancing.Robert was a Republican and was the Convention Chairman in Nye County, as well as a member of the Nye County Steering Committee. He also served as the Chairman of the Amargosa Valley, NV, Town Board.Raised a Catholic, he was very devoted to his church life, including a member of the Knights of Columbus and achieving the Knight 4th Degree.In 1994, while living on his own in Amargosa Valley and working at the Nevada Test Site on the high-Level Nuclear Waste Program, Robert decided to take up teaching. He taught business and computer courses for DeVry University in Amargosa Valley, Pahrump and Las Vegas and then went to work for Great Basin College teaching online and in Pahrump. He continued teaching through Great Basin after he moved to Memphis, until 2015.Robert passed away peacefully on April 16, 2019, after a long illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Murry and Jeanette Cameron; his four older sisters, Beatrice (a.k.a. Polly) (Ralph) Hammond, Gladys (Theodore) Peluso and Kay (Joseph) Revere; his Aunt Sina Ostrowska; and his first wife, Delores.He leaves behind his wife, Jan; his three children, Suzanne (Allan) Tschorn, Robert Murray Cameron, and Catherine (Enrique) Paz; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; his former wife, Sandra; and a wealth of friends.The family will receive friends on Thursday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home followed by graveside services to celebrate his life at 10:30 a.m. at Memorial Park Cemetery.Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119, 901-767-8930. “A Fitting Farewell for Everyone:.
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