Douglas Campbell III

Douglas Campbell III
Doug Campbell III, age 72, passed away on September 2nd, 2025 at his home in Stamford, CT with his wife and kids at his side, after a courageous four-year battle with ALS. He went peacefully thanks to an abundance of love and support from family and friends and because he was able to watch the University of Michigan football team win their first game of the season a few days prior.
Doug was born on March 6th, 1953, in Detroit, MI and grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, the son of the late Douglas Campbell Jr. and Elizabeth MacColl Campbell. Doug attended the Hotchkiss School ('71), completed his BA at the University of New Hampshire ('75), and his MBA at UVA's Darden School ('80).
In 1972, Doug met Gwynne (MacColl) Campbell in Portland, OR and in 1978 they got engaged in Italy. They married on Cape Cod a year later and relocated to Darien, CT, where together they opened the first Sylvan Learning Center on the east coast, providing tutoring and test prep for 36 years.
In 1995 Doug founded The Success Coach to help CEOs and their teams to reach business goals. Simultaneously, Doug taught MBA classes for almost two decades at Sacred Heart and Fairfield University and ran monthly "High Talent Creatives" networking meetings until 2014. In 2019, he helped launch and co-hosted the Stamford Ferguson Library's Entrepreneur in Residence Program.
Doug served on many local boards, including the Darien Chamber of Commerce, Darien Men's Association, Darien Land Trust, Hotchkiss Board of Directors and CT's Angel Investment Forum. Doug wrote books entitled "Where To Go From Here: Reinventing Your Business and Your Career;" and "The 16-28 Solution: Unleash the Passions of Your Youth." He co-authored "Major Issues of the Law of the Sea," with his UNH professor after undergrad.
Doug was most proud of the family he and Gwynne raised. He is survived by son Colin and wife Tara Craft (Arlington, VA) and their two daughters, Alma and Chloe, and his daughter Caroline and husband Robert Dickie (Melbourne, AUS), and their two sons, Brooks and Miller. Doug cherished his grandchildren and loved playing tickle monster and games with them.
Doug loved coaching Colin and Caroline on their youth ice hockey and baseball/softball teams. A lifelong golfer, fisher, biker, ice skater, and swimmer, Doug loved being active and supporting his teams. He spent many summers hiking in Michigan's UP and continued to enjoy the outdoors at the family house in Matunuck, RI.
Doug was a member of Noroton Presbyterian Church where he served on the Missions Board and co-founded a multi-denominational men's bible study, now in its 18th year. Doug also helped establish micro lending initiatives in Ecuador and El Salvador and he enjoyed his many trips abroad, visiting all continents except Antarctica.
In early 2022, Doug was diagnosed with ALS and vowed to fight the terminal illness with positivity, science, humor, and diligence, inspiring his family, friends, and business community until the very end.
A memorial service and reception for Doug will be held on Friday Sept 26th at 11:00 a.m. at the Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to ALS United Connecticut (4 Oxford Road, Suite E4 Milford, CT 06460, www.alsunitedct.org) or the Darien Land Trust (5 Brook St., Darien, CT 06820, https://darienlandtrust.org).