John E. CAMPBELL

1922 - 2020

CAMPBELL, John E. (Age 98) John Edward Campbell, beloved husband, father and grandfather, slipped the bonds of Earth and flew away to Heaven on April 13, 2020 at Hospice House South in Spokane, WA. John was born February 8, 1922 in Great Falls, Montana, to John Elba "Jack" Campbell and Henrietta M. (Winegar) Campbell. His father's employer, the Great Northern Railroad, had the family subsequently living in Whitefish, MT, Skykomish, WA, and Spokane, WA, where John lived for the rest of his life. He attended Rogers High School, and graduated in 1940. While there, he met the love of his life, Patricia Anne Cassidy. After High School, John attended Gonzaga University to study engineering. With the war raging in Europe, the Army Air Corps sent recruiters to Gonzaga with the query, "Who wants to learn how to fly?"John answered the call and went to Santa Ana Air Base in Santa Ana, California. While there, the Commander counseled all the new recruits NOT to call their sweethearts and rush to get married. John defied the counsel and asked his parents to drive Patricia down to California where they were married by the base Chaplain July 24, 1943. John became a B-25 pilot stationed in Corsica, from where he flew 33 missions. When the war ended, John was able to fly one of the B-25's home to the U.S. He has often recalled to family and friends, the journey home. The plane didn't have long range fuel capacity, so they flew from Ancona, Italy to Marrakesh, Morocco, then on to Liberia and then to a small refueling station in the Sahara desert. From there, they flew to Ascension Island, a dot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with 15 minutes of fuel on board and a sputtering engine. Rather than waiting two weeks to have the engine fixed, the crew voted to press on with the engine the way it was. They made it to Brazil and then north to Savannah, Georgia and then home, to Spokane. After returning from the war, John worked for Vandervert School of Flying at Felts Field. He taught many to fly and also transported travelers around the inner mountain west, including "Gorgeous George", a professional wrestler of the time, to Billings, Montana in a major snowstorm. During his years working there, their first child, William John Campbell was born. John went to work for General Foods Corporation in 1950, in the wholesale grocery business, and worked there until he retired. During that time, Dianne Christine Campbell, their second child was born. John and Patricia moved from the family home into a condominium where he worked taking care of the pool until he was 87. He also had a small business, buying and selling WWII weaponry and other items from the war. He met and befriended people from all over the world while he had that business. John and Patrica were married for 68 years when Patricia passed away in 2011. John is survived by his son, William John Campbell and wife Phyllis of Issaquah, WA; his daughter, Dianne Christine Campbell-Anderson and husband Brian of Spokane; his sister-in-law Barbara Cassidy of Camano Island, WA; his granddaughter Sarah Dickinson and husband Scott and great-grandchildren: Hunter, Levi and Rylin Dickinson, all of Goldendale, WA.; his nephews: David, Tom, Steve and Doug Cassidy; his nieces: Lynne Lebret, Anne Cassidy and Margaret Cassidy; and granddog Moses. Captain John Edward Campbell (Ret.) loved his family and his country. He was a warm, generous and friendly man, helpful to his friends and neighbors. He will be missed greatly by his loving family. John will be laid to rest at Washington Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake WA with his wife Patricia. A graveside service will take place later, when the virus is past us. The family would like to thank, Nancy Anderson, Dad's caregiver for the past year, Hospice of Spokane and Hospice House, particularly Nurses, Jackie, Diana, and Christina; also Tina, Autumn Peggy and Kelli, you were all wonderful to our dad and us. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in John's name to Hospice of Spokane.