Zora Kukic Camp

Zora (Kukic) Camp, age 92, passed away peacefully on July 1st, 2024, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Zora is survived by her son, Walter Toma Camp (Teresa Kraus) of Virginia Beach, Virginia, nine nieces and nephews, extended family and lifelong friends. She was pre-deceased by her daughter Anna Lisa Camp; husband Walter Camp, Jr.; sister Mildred Lukic; brothers Duke, Mike, and Tom Kukic; parents Toma and Milica (Ivosevic) Kukic, and niece Sandra (Kukic) Slifko.

Zora (meaning “dawn” in Serbian) was born as the morning sun rose on Flag Day, June 14, 1932, at her parents’ home in East McKeesport, Pennsylvania. A voracious reader from an early age, she developed a lifelong love of words and wit. Zora said she learned to begin talking early on, but she never learned how to stop. Humor became her constant companion, and her gentle gift of gab served her well the rest of her years, socially and professionally. Even when her voice failed near life’s end, she conveyed paragraphs with her eyebrows and facial expressions.

She loved school, and Zora was an outstanding and outgoing scholar. She graduated in 1950 from Westinghouse Memorial High School in Wilmerding, PA, with honors in science, history, and other subjects, and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” Attending the University of Pittsburgh on academic scholarships, Zora graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1954 with dual majors. She earned a Masters of Retailing at Pitt in 1955, again with local and national academic honors.

Zora’s desire to travel (her “itchy feet”) led to jobs in Philadelphia; Washington, DC; San Francisco; and the Territory of Hawaii. She trained others on best retailing practices, ran market simulation software using early commercial computers, and applied decision science to sales and inventory management. At Washington’s Woodward & Lothrop department store she bonded with the dear friends who would stand by her for the next 70 years, affectionately known together as “The Woodies Ladies.”

She returned to DC in 1961 to work for Congressional Minority Leaders Sen. Dirksen and Rep. Halleck’s Joint Leadership Conference. Her first day in the office coincided with the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and her support work for them was fast paced through the era of the Cuban Missile Crisis and Civil Rights legislation. She never forgot answering the White House’s call on November 22, 1963, and scrambling to find and inform leaders of the President’s assassination.

Leaving the US Capitol building, vodka gimlets and her beloved very high heels behind, Zora married, moved to Silver Spring, MD, and became a mother. Focusing on family and community organizations, she instilled a priority on education, sound principles, a strong work ethic, and her love of fun in her children and all her endeavors. She loved to cook, and each square on 20 years of family calendars was full, punctuated in autumn by rushes back from church for every Steelers and Redskins kickoff!

Zora returned to the workforce as the principal’s secretary at schools in Montgomery County, MD, thriving on the camaraderie of like-minded staff and faculty. Finding a way forward after the tragic loss of her 20-year-old daughter in 1987 was Zora’s most difficult accomplishment in life. After retiring from MCPS in 1994 she traveled, cherishing time with her son and extended family, seeing nearby sights with SOAR, and enrolling in 16 Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) programs that took her throughout America.

Widowed tragically in 2008 she began anew, moving to Riderwood Village in MD, enrolling in 3 college courses per semester, welcoming her daughter-in-law into the family and becoming the poster child for all that a vibrant, senior community can provide. At age 77 Zora was given her own key to the fitness center so she could start her busy days there without delay at 5:00am, an hour before the staff arrived.

Zora’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis brought her to Virginia Beach near her son & daughter-in-law, and together they embarked on a ten-year mission of doing as much as they could for as long as she could. Luckily past sorrows were among the first memories to go, a silver lining that freed her to enjoy every day’s fresh potential. Z’s cultural calendar was full for a decade, and they attended every theatre in the region, went fishing, regularly enjoyed live music from bluegrass to the Symphony, visited parks and museums, and of course kept watching the Steelers. Zora’s curiosity, desire for adventure, and willingness to try anything never waned. Indoor skydiving for her 83rd birthday fulfilled a lifetime wish to fly.

Zora was active until her final year, always trying to raise the spirits of those around her. When asked how she felt, she said, “With my hands, of course!” Tremendous gratitude is due to all Zora’s caregivers who provided her with love, dignity, and an exceptional quality of life over her final ten years. Zora departed this mortal coil naturally, on her own terms, while holding her loving son’s hand.

Friends may call at Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD on Wednesday July 10th from 2 to 4:00pm, and from 6 to 8:00pm. A Funeral Service will be held there on Thursday July 11th at 10:30am, followed by 12:00 noon interment at George Washington Cemetery, 9500 Riggs Rd, in Adelphi, MD.

In lieu of flowers, Zora’s vision can be extended by donating in her memory to a local Girl Scout troop, Council or the national organization www.girlscouts.org. Such gifts will help put more young girls on the road to personal and professional success early, in a fun, supportive way ... just as Girl Scouting did for Zora over 75 years ago.