John Bruce Campbell

John Bruce Campbell of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and St. John, USVI, (82) departed this life on Tuesday morning, April 7. John was the son of Eleanor Aldridge of New York City and Clyde Bruce Campbell, originally from La Harpe, Illinois. His only sibling, Barbara (Bobby) Campbell Weakley, pre-deceased him barely a month earlier.

John is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Elaine Josephine (Bauer) Campbell, and is the adored father of three daughters, Jennifer Ann Campbell Vesey of Sudbury, Rebecca Ellen Campbell Gibbel of Brooklyn, and Sabrina Frances Campbell Heine of Lee, New Hampshire. His four grandchildren include William John Vesey, Grace Beatrice and Grant Campbell Heine, and Rowan Campbell Smart .

John attended schools in Floral Park, Long Island, New York and graduated from St. Lawrence University (Backelor’s degree in Physics) and from Columbia University (Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering). He was a dedicated Boy Scout and Eagle Scout during his youth and played in his high school band. John maintained a strong love of music throughout his life.

Upon his graduation from Sewanhaka High School in 1950, John was awarded the gold Philip J. Christ Memorial Medal for Scholarship. Among the prestigious national honor society gold keys awarded during his post-high school career are Phi Beta Kappa, America’s oldest honor society for liberal arts and sciences, and Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society. In addition, he was the recipient of a Sigma Xi gold key for pure and applied science, the Tau Beta Pi key for honors in engineering, and the Eta Kappa Nu gold key awarded by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was also inducted into the Association for Computing Machinery as well as the Society for Computer Simulation.

During his professional career, John worked for the General Electric Company, Raytheon Company, and The MITRE Corporation where he served as a Technical Director. John also served as Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Fitchburg State College and as a member of the Advisory Committee on Computers at the University of Lowell. While living in rural Maryland, he served on several National Government committees and at the Pentagon in an advisory capacity.

During John’s private life, he shared his daughters’ love for various pet animals including carrier pigeons, a rabbit, several very large dogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, a long succession of pet cats, zebra finches, and a horse named “Lucky.” Two of his daughters are veterinarians and one a home health aide. In addition to all his paternal activities, he encouraged his wife to return to graduate school and complete her Ph.D. degree. He ran the household when she attended academic conferences and credited her with imbuing him with a love for travel. Together John and Elaine circumnavigated South American, visited London multiple times, toured Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Upon visiting Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, he bought a small home, beginning a fifty year love of the Caribbean, culminating in moving to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

John will be laid to rest on Monday, April 13, at a private burial in the historic cemetery in Sudbury’s center. His four grandchildren will serve as pall bearers and in honor of his Scottish ancestry, a bagpiper will play “Amazing Grace” as John leaves behind his grieving family. A small, informal private reception will follow at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Sudbury.

While flowers are welcome with delivery to Duckett Funeral Home, Boston Post Road in Sudbury, donations in John’s memory to one of his favored charities would be very appropriate. Among these are Defenders of Wildlife, the Animal Care Center of St. John, Nature Conservancy, Kitty Angels of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, St. Lawrence University. Addresses can be found on the organization websites.