May God bless you and your...
Philip was my soul mate and I'll miss him forever.
Suzanne Campling
July 19, 2025 | Yankton, SD
Photo courtesy of Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation Services - Sioux Falls
May 20, 1952 - Jun 28, 2025
Philip was my soul mate and I'll miss him forever.
Suzanne Campling
July 19, 2025 | Yankton, SD
Thank you for your Military Service to our country Philip.
T. D.
July 19, 2025
Philip Andrew Campling, 73, of Yankton, SD, passed away on 28 June 2025.
Philip Campling was born on 20 May 1952 in Camden Town, London, UK. Philip attended Dog Kennel Hill Primary School and Kingsdale Secondary School. On 5 February 1965, Philip and his parents, Arthur Campling and Maureen (Heeney), moved to Philadelphia, PA. Philip later described his transition to American culture as a challenge. Although he placed above his grade level academically, he found that the British history he had learned conflicted with the American perspective (for example, he once responded confidently that Benedict Arnold was a hero), and his teachers didn’t understand his British slang. Girls flocked to him because he sounded like the Beatles, yet they didn’t appreciate that he had appeared as an extra in one scene of the 1964 movie, “A Hard Day’s Night.” Before long, Philip intentionally lost his British accent in hopes of assimilating more quickly.
After graduating from Philadelphia’s Northeast High School in 1969, Philip joined the US Air Force as a mechanic. He served for several years and then took college classes to become an electromechanical engineer. He worked for engineering companies such as Franklin Computers and Telesciences and for chemical and plastics companies such as Rohm and Haas, as well as for oil companies such as Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd., which sent him to Russia, Uganda, and Algeria. Before his retirement in 2015, he spent some time as a trucker. Philip took pride in his ability to fix anything, from computers to cars to household appliances.
In 1975, Philip married Cindy Newman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had one son, Aric.
In 1987, Philip married Maryann Johns and moved to Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Philip was an involved father, coaching Aric’s soccer team and flummoxing the other teams by using British football formations to win games.
On 24 March 2001, Philip married Suzanne Cain at the Federal Library in Fontana, California. They shared 24 years of marriage, residing in California, Texas, and Missouri. They finally moved to Yankton, South Dakota to be near his adopted family: Suzanne’s daughter and son-in-law, Ariana and Ron, and granddaughter, Kara.
Philip was a talented musician and artist. While in Texas, he and Suzanne were members of the North Harris County Dulcimer Society. They performed with the group at historical events in the Houston area, often in period dress. Philip played both the dulcimer and his lifelong instrument of choice, the guitar.
Philip was caring, creative, intelligent, and funny. He cherished time with family and making people laugh. He enjoyed brainstorming chord structures and lyrics for new songs and sketching portraits and cartoon characters. He loved animals, especially his dog K.C. and his cat Angel.
Philip Campling is survived by his wife, Suzanne Campling of Yankton, South Dakota; his son, Aric (wife Jennifer) of Vienna, Virginia; his stepdaughter, Ari (husband Ron), and his granddaughter, Kara, of Yankton, South Dakota; and friends in the many states in which he lived.
Philip’s family celebrated his life at a small, private gathering. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Philip Campling’s name to the Heartland Humane Society, 3400 East Highway 50, Yankton, SD 57078 (https://heartlandhumanesociety.net/donate/).
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