It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Mr. Gordon “Glen” Campbell, of Conmee Township, peacefully in his home on Saturday, September 30, 2023, one day after celebrating his 78th birthday.
Glen was born on September 29, 1945 in Fort William, Ontario to Marie (nee Sande) and Gordon Thomas Campbell. He was raised with his sister, Doreen, in the family home, in Westfort on Christina Street. Glen was educated locally, graduating from Marathon High School. He became a Certified Engineering Technician (Mechanical Design),O.A.C.E.T.T. He always strived to further his education by taking related courses to advance his career, which made him invaluable. He started his career as a Chainman to Technician 3 Survey with the DHO. From there, Glen became a Senior Field Technician with W.L. Wardrop Engineering. We moved to Marathon when he worked at James River Marathon Ltd, which allowed the family to be together.
Glen began investing in his community by becoming a Counsellor for the Township of Conmee. He offered his expertise and devoted many hours researching information to further the development of the Conmee. One of the things Glen felt was important was to have our own Firehall in Conmee. Many years of training, experience and building a reliable resource for the township. He was given a medal of service for 25 years.
Glen had a gift, an ‘ear’ for music. He mastered many instruments. His favourite was the piano. As he got older, he learned to play guitar, bass, dobro, and of course, the fiddle. Many memories of him playing harmony on fiddle with his dad while his mom or sister were on piano. Glen would accompany fiddle players for concerts, music festivals & fiddle contests. Several years ago, his best friend, Jim Fontaine, would join him to play in the nursing homes in Thunder Bay. Recently, he would sing and play the ukulele for Dominic, his great-grandson. Whenever Glen worked out of town, he made sure that he had a band to play in. One of them was the Glen Campbell’s Firehall Fiddlers. His pride and joy was the Campbell Family Band. Each of his children learned at least two instruments. He spent hours devoting to researching songs for us to play. He also tried to stay current. He would arrange the music, spending hours at the computer, and then he would transpose them into a key that would work for us. He dedicated a lot of time to learning his leads for the songs. He made sure that we had guest artists or people that would fill-in, for when one of us couldn’t play. The honourable mentions go to Gerald Taylor, Jeremy McCubbin, Rob Randle and our cousin, Stuart Green. Family was always welcome on stage when we played at Hymers.
Glen enjoyed exploring, fishing, cutting wood, gardening, cooking, watching his Toronto Raptors and the news. He was always curious to see what projects his children were doing. He would offer his engineering advice. Safety first!
Glen met Peggy(Margaret) in 1964 while performing with his band The Coachmen.They married in the spring of 1967. He adored Peggy and always made sure she was taken care of. They built a beautiful home in Conmee. They had 5 wonderful children. We always did things as a family. Our fondest memories were the trips, camping at Quetico, and playing games like Can-the-Can. When we lived in Marathon, it gave us a unique experience as a family. We explored so much there, and we were visited by so many friends and family. It was a treasure for us, as we were able to see our dad every night.
Glen is survived by his wife of 56 years, Peggy (nee Cacon); children Paul (Cheryl) Campbell, Jennifer (Daniel) Kukkee, Heather Campbell, Colin (Cheree) Campbell, and Christopher (Jana) Campbell; grandchildren Brittany, Daniel, Raelynn and Braeden Campbell; step-grandchildren Evan (Melissa) Shaw, Jacob and Mackenzie Logan; great-grandchildren Luna, Salem and Lilith Lambert, Dominic Knorr; step-great-grandchildren Kairi and Owen Shaw, as well as his brother-in-law Jack Green; nieces Jeanette & Wendy; nephews Anders & Stuart; cousins and other relatives.
He was predeceased by his parents, Gordon and Marie Campbell; his sister Doreen Green, grandparents MaryAnn and Henry Sande and Alexander and Marion Campbell; Matthew Nicholas, great-granddaughter Violet Lambert; as well as many aunts and uncles.
Funeral Services in Celebration of Glen's Life will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 10:30am in WESTFORT CHAPEL, 420 West Gore Street at James, officiated by Pastor David Boyle. A private family interment will follow with a luncheon at the Conmee Community Centre at 19 Holland Road West.
Should friends so desire, donations made in Glen's memory to the Northern Cancer Fund (payable to TBRHSF) would be greatly appreciated
