John CAMDEN

1939 - 2020

CAMDEN, John Richard "Dutch"

A thoughtful and kind, but nevertheless stubborn, John "Dutch" Richard Camden, age 81, of Bellbrook, passed away Monday, November 16th, 2020.

Dutch was born on October 11th, 1939, to Thelma (Connor) and John Camden. While attending Bellbrook High School, Dutch played baseball, basketball, and ran track. After graduating, he worked as a truck driver for Sugarcreek Ready Mix, later called Ernst, for over 28 years. He was a skilled driver, which often translated to skilled "back-seat driving," complete with plenty of hilarious commentaries.

Dutch was married to Sharon (Sieber) Camden for nearly 40 years, and together they enjoyed providing unplanned hospitality for all their family and friends, road trips out west and up into Maine, adventures at the casino, for her, and fishing excursions on the pontoon, for him. Dutch loved to socialize and surround himself with people. He would often meet up with friends for morning coffee at McDonald's before heading to Ceaser's Creek or Spring Lake to fish. He also loved to browse around at Bass Pro Shop and took almost daily trips to Walmart often leading to spontaneous and thoughtful purchases for those he loved.

Dutch loved to spend time with the kids in the family, and will always be remembered for his homemade vanilla ice cream. He loved to eat, and likewise became a pretty good cook, most famous for his potato salad. He loved his music twangy and his talk radio opinionated. He was great at canning, a predictable "socks and underwear" gift-giver, and always believed in the more the merrier. He was well-loved and he loved well.

He will be missed most by his children, Markolita Camden (Lynne), Sharri Hedeen (Rodney), Tracey LaVecchia (AJ), and Terry Riley; grandchildren, Andy Murray (Andrew) and Adam Murray (Megan); great-grandson, Patrick Murray; and first cousin, Cynthia Camden-Kohler. He was preceded in death by parents, John and Thelma Camden; wife Sharon (Sieber)

Camden; and sister, Dorothy Hodson-Tobias.

To help the family celebrate his life, you are invited to share during his Life Celebration Graveside Service on Saturday,

November 21st, 2020, at 1:00 pm, at Bellbrook Cemetery (3939 Upper Bellbrook Rd., Bellbrook, OH 45305). In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be sent to St. Mary

Development Corporation (2160 E. Fifth St, Dayton, Ohio 45403). Donations can also be made online at

https://www.stmarydevelopment.org/. Please use Dutch's online Book of Memories to send condolences, share stories, and upload photos of Dutch at connerandkoch.com.