Bobby Dean Campbell

Bob was born 15 July, 1925, along with an identical twin brother, Billy Gene, to George Washington Campbell and Nettie Ethyl (Arbaugh) Campbell in Stroud, Oklahoma. He later was joined by sisters Barbara (Barkie), Mary Ellen (Jackie), and Linda June (June). Growing up in Mission, Texas, he and brother, Bill, enlisted in the Navy during the height of World War II. Navy Pilot Training included college courses in Arlington, Texas, where he met another student, Lolis Jane Lasater at a St. Patrick’s Day party. They were married 23 December, 1945 in Arlington, Texas. A jobsite injury serendipitously resulted in Bob returning to college where he earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Subsequent to work stints in Lufkin and Austin, Texas, the family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri to pursue promised opportunity, where Bob started a new consulting engineering firm, Bob D. Campbell and Co. in January, 1957. Vigorous growth in construction during the 1960s permitted corresponding growth in the company. Bob was fortunate (and talented) enough to be involved in the structural engineering design of a number of well-known Kansas City buildings: Truman Sports Complex, KCI, Kemper Arena Reconstruction, Temple B’Nai Jehudah (built in 1967, demolished for other land use in 2003), and numerous buildings on The Plaza and Downtown Kansas City. He also engineered the world’s first permanent, people occupied, tension fabric building at LaVerne College in California. Designing buildings across the country motivated him to earn his private pilot’s license allowing him to visit distant architectural offices and geographically distributed jobsites. He retired from Bob D. Campbell and Co. in 1990 and was awarded a Legends in Kansas City Architecture Medal by the Kansas City Architectural Foundation in 1999. Many individuals, business associates, and organizations benefited from Bob’s deep generosity. He served as a committed Christian at home, work, church, and in the community. He and Lolly were active members at Swope Park Baptist Church (now Grace Point Baptist Church) and he served on the Board of Directors of Baptist Medical Center, including terms as Chairman. He served on the Board of Variances for the City of Overland Park. His generosity was distributed in an intentionally humble manner, never seeking recognition. He was pre-deceased by his parents, brother Billy Gene, sister Barbara, and daughter Connie Sue. He leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Lolis (Lolly) Jane Campbell, sisters Mary Ellen (Jackie) Hamilton, and Linda June (June) Yoblonsky, sons: Mark Alan Campbell and his wife Sandy, Christopher Craig Campbell and his wife Cathy, son-in-law: Anthony (Tony) Bruce Ferguson, grandchildren and step-grandchildren: Carolyn and her husband Jacob Schwartz, Katherine (Keli), Chase, Matthew and his wife Jen, Amanda and her husband Scott Goodson, Lyman Rickman, Collin, Michael, and great-grandchildren: Ely and Rae Goodson. On Wednesday, 2 March, 2011, he breathed his last breath on earth and his first breath in heaven. He succumbed to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease after enduring several years of progressive debilitation. God blessed the world for 85 years with the life of this remarkable man. Bob was known for injecting bits of Spanish into his everyday speech, including most often ‘A Dios!’ A Dios literally translates ‘To God’. What a fitting way to say goodbye to Bob Campbell……. In lieu of flowers, please consider making memorial donations to the Endowment Fund of Grace Point Baptist Church. Funeral/ Celebration of Life services will be held at Grace Point Baptist Church, 10415 Chestnut Drive, on Saturday 12 March, 2011 at 3:00 PM. The family will greet visitors from 2:00 PM until 2:50 PM. A private ceremony will be held later for Interment at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Condolences may be made at www.mtmoriah-freeman.com. Arrangements under the direction of Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.