Brian Robert Campbell

He was born January 6, 1940, in Washington DC, the only child of Sara (Smallwood) and Robert Smith Campbell. His family moved to Wheaton, Maryland in 1956. Brian graduated from Wheaton High School in 1959 and proudly enlisted in the US Army. He served four years in Rothwesten, Germany. Following his honorable discharge in 1963, Brian enrolled at Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, MD for two years and went on to graduate from the University of Maryland in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.

Brian married Laura Sousane in 1967, and they settled in Derwood, Maryland, where they raised their two children, Robert and Donna. In 2013, Brian and Laura moved to Shallotte, NC, to be near their daughter and grandchildren.

A career government employee, Brian’s first civil service job after college was with the U.S. Department of the Navy in Prince Georges County, MD and soon moved to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Brian retired from the National Library of Medicine at NIH in 1994.

A lifelong animal-lover, Brian loved to attract and feed the squirrels on the campus of NIH. He had many pets throughout his life, and his Beagle/Basset hound Tinker will miss sharing the love seat with him.

During childhood, Brian took accordion lessons. In high school, he became more interested in playing the banjo and guitar, and he performed with a group that called themselves the Blue Ridge Ramblers. During his military service in Germany, he learned to play beautiful German music on the accordion. He teamed up with his dear German friend, Alois Bruckbauer (now deceased), to form the Alpenduo, and they performed regularly at German and other European restaurants and events in the Washington, D.C. area.

Brian will be greatly missed by his wife of 51 years, Laura Campbell of Shallotte, NC; his son Robert of Derwood, Maryland; his daughter, Donna and her husband, Dexter Braam of Oak Island, NC; his grandchildren, Anthony and Vincent Riccardi; his cousins, in-laws; music fans; many close and longtime friends.

Family will receive friends on Wednesday, September 5 from 9:30 a.m. until time of funeral service 10:30 a.m. at Fort Lincoln Funeral Home, 3401 Bladensburg Road, Brentwood, MD. Interment Fort Lincoln Cemetery.