My Grandpa Harry instilled in me a love for gardening. In their back yard in Bakersfield, he had planted berries and fruit trees that he had planted by seed. I can remember him out in the front yard carefully wiping pesticide on the leaves of the weeds.

Today, I do not take quite so much care to poison all of the weeds in my grass, but, I continue his legacy of the garden in my own yard in my home in Kansas City, Kansas. The funny thing is, I live only about 100 miles north of Pittsburg, Kansas, where Grandpa Harry was born. I also recently got a degree at Pitt State, so I now have a fresh connection to his beginnings almost 100 years ago. 

This portrait is appropriate for him, as I have been entrusted with the fruits of his hard labor and service to the United States Air Force during the Korean War. This portrait used to hang above their bed as far back as I can remember. 

One more thing that I remember about Grandpa Harry is the time when I would be walking beside him in their house in Bakersfield. I heard the sound  of passing of gas when he froze in place with a smile on his face and is finger pointing at me. His words, "Robert, you stepped on a duck," is one of my favorite memories of him as a kid. 

While I only knew Grandpa Harry as a retired person, the way that he lived it speaks volumes to a life well lived. He worked hard, served others, and then served his wife, who was my Grandma Campbell, for around 50 years (hopefully, my dad or one of my uncles can help me with the exact number on this). 

So, as my tomatoes grow this summer in Kansas, I will have a lot to be thankful for, as I wonder if I would have ever taken interest in gardening it it weren't for him. Also, perhaps I would not have known the love and comfort of Grandpa Harry and Grandma Campbell without his dedication to his marriage to her, and his desire to follow Jesus in his daily life. 

Photo credit: Facebook page of Carol Huff, the sister of my Grandma Rose Campbell, Harry's wife.

Rose Campbell

Glenn Campbell

David Campbell

Samantha Campbell

Steve Campbell

Keith Campbell

Leo Campbell

Harry Campbell (Pearl)

Boice Funeral Home

Harry Campbell

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Harry D. Campbell Ret. USAF Major

18 November, 1922 – 23 December, 2020

Boice Funeral Home

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