Camille Paula Durnford

Camille Paula Durnford was known as many things to many people. She was a loved one, a friend, and someone special. To family and friends who knew her best, Camille will be remembered as a very exceptional person.

Camille was born on July 15,1961 at Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, California. She was the daughter of Louise and Joseph Moccio. Camille grew up in Northvale, New Jersey.

Camille had two siblings. One younger sister, Jeanne, and one younger brother, John. She and her siblings experienced rivalries typical of a growing family, but they also shared many life experiences over the years.

As a young girl, Camille had a number of interests. Like most children, she enjoyed playing and making up games. She loved to play Lost in Space with her brother and sister. She was curious about the world around her and was often eager to explore it. She was a member of the Girl Scouts. In her spare time she liked to listen to music and spend time with her siblings and friends.

Camille was close to her family and was active at Saint Anthony's Catholic Church. She attended a youth bible study group and received communion at an early age.

A typical teenager, Camille had a fairly happy high school experience. She also worked several part-time jobs. One was at a cheese factory and the other at Jaeger, a clothing manufacturer. She stopped eating cheese after the first job but got a lot of new clothes at the second job! She was very popular and had many friends. During High School some of her best friends were Andrea Cascone, Margaret Parmese, Jean Mormon, Nellie Zwiefel, and Andy Baumeister. Camille's favorite classes were Home Economics and Biology class with Mr. Ammerman. She graduated from Old Tappan High School in 1980.

Camille enjoyed her college years, which may have been a challenge with all of the academics, responsibilities, and the sudden freedom that accompanied them, but Camille was able to manage the balancing act. She loved being a member of the Omicron Nu Epsilon Sorority during her college years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business in 1984.

Camille moved to Florida after college and lived at Ranchero Village in Largo. She made friends and enjoyed going to the beach and attending the outdoor festivals. She also loved going dancing. Jeanne moved down to Florida to live with Camille and they had some fun times living together as well as some challenges. Camille was always playful and childlike in spirit and Jeanne always the serious, responsible mother figure. Opposite as they were, they grew close as roomies and enjoyed each other's company. Over time they learned to embrace their differences. This was a great bonding time for both Jeanne and Camille.

Camille always had a heart for others and participated in Hands Across America in 1986 where 6.5 million people formed a chain across the country by holding hands to help fight world hunger.

Camille loved spending time with her friend Nancy and sister Jeanne while she was living at Ranchero Village. Camille's parents owned a manufactured home there so the rent was cheap! Here they can be seen hanging out and attracting the suspicion of the senior (over 55) park residents which was a common occurrence since they were the only youngsters living there.

While living in Largo, Camille met Joe and Jeanne met Doug. They spent a lot of time together. One of their favorite memories was when they made Ghostbuster's costumes for Halloween one year. Camille was the Stay Puff Marshmallow man, Jeanne was the Slime monster, and Doug and Joe were Ghostbusters.

Camille and Joe soon developed feelings for one another and on May 27, 1989 Camille exchanged wedding vows with Joe Durnford at St. Ignatius Catholic Church of Tarpon Springs, Florida.

It was a beautiful ceremony with colorful bridesmaids and a lively reception at the Kapok Tree in Clearwater. Camille was surrounded by the warmth of her family and friends and she made a beautiful bride! Joe wasn't a bad looking groom either! Joe and Camille were very happy as they started their new life together. You could see the joy radiating from Camille's face!

Camille and Joe loved going to parties and hosting parties at their house, especially on Super Bowl Game Day! They lived down the street from Louise for the first part of their marriage and enjoyed the free home cooked meals they got there.

Camille remained close to her family during her marriage. Here they are taking a professional portrait together. Wow, they were so young and so thin back then!!

Camille and Joe loved being in and around the water, which was a good thing because in Florida, water is everywhere. Camille and Joe owned some wave runners and a boat for awhile. They liked to hang out with John, Rebecca, Jeanne, and Doug while playing with their water toys. Dolphin spotting always added to the excitement of the day! Relaxing in the Jacuzzi after a strenuous or stressful day was one of Camille's favorite ways to unwind.

Jeanne and Camille loved to go to the mall. Well, Camille was the one who really loved to shop. Jeanne went along to keep Camille company. One day the discovered Glamour Shots Photographic studio at Countryside Mall and decided they wanted to be glamour stars for a few hours. Glamour Shots provided the hairstylist, makeup artist, photographer, and clothes.

Camille looked beautiful with her gorgeous full head of hair and beautiful brown eyes.

She looked even prettier in red doing the awesome and very uncomfortable poses that the photographer required to get the look just right. Camille and Jeanne were both exhausted by the end of the photo session but had some beautiful portraits to gift to their husbands who absolutely loved them!

Camille was always surrounded by good friends. She made friends easily everywhere she went. Throughout her jobs and life experiences, Camille met and became friends with a variety of wonderful people such as Evelyn Esteva Stephens, Valerie Henss, Chris Case, Chris Lavine, Jeannette LIttles, Sharon Carroll, Gabby Scalero, Gaby from Felices, Lynda Waldron, Steve Acuff, and many others.

The girls formed a "Girls Night Out" group where they got together once a month just to, well, be girls! The group had an open invitation to anyone who wanted to join and had an interest in eating, talking, eating some more, and complaining about men. Some of their favorite memories of Camille came from the Girls Night Out functions. People loved to be around Camille who had a child-like spirit and an innocence that made people laugh and brought joy to those around her. She was also very close to her relatives in Connecticut and loved going up there to visit them. Likewise, when they came down to Florida, they always stopped at Camille's house to spend some time with her.

Camille enjoyed what she did for a living. She had a gift for understanding financial areas of business and was well-liked by all of her employers. Camille worked diligently. Her primary occupation was loan and check processing. She worked for Chase Home Mortgage for several years and then at Aegon for almost 15 years.

Some of Camille's favorite pursuits were watching TV, eating out, doing ceramics with her mom and sister, shopping, dressing up her dogs, bragging about her dogs, talking on the phone, entertaining at her home,, and playing video games. She liked to attend football games and tailgate parties too!. She especially loved watching and having Super Bowl parties at her house. In short, Camille just loved to have fun!

In her earlier years, Camille spent a lot of time with her nephew, Adam, and niece Jessica attending their birthday parties and events. These brought out her inner child even more and it was obvious to those around her that she really enjoyed the time she spent with her family. Camille enjoyed the company of her nephew, Adam, during their trip to Italy.

Unfortunately, although Camille was surrounded by wonderful friends and a supportive family, over time, married life proved to be too challenging for both Joe and Camille and they grew apart in their relationship with one another. They divorced in 2000 and Camille remained single for the remainder of her life. This traumatic event started a downhill slide to an alcohol addiction that Camille, unfortunately, would never be able to overcome.

Camille remained busy after the divorce. She became an active member of AA in her later years, and volunteered in many charitable organizations (mostly revolving around animals) such as the Suncoast Animal League, Project Pup, and Canine Estates. She adopted many animals from dolphins at Clearwater Marine Aquarium to kangaroos at the Lowry Park zoo. One thing was for sure, Camille loved animals!

Camille enjoyed traveling and time away on vacations. She loved going on cruises and found it was a chance for her to renew and relax. She loved to visit new places and experience new things, and to get away from the mundane stresses of life. It was also a place for her to meet new people that she could show those dog pictures to! When she was able to, she took the dogs with her to pet friendly places. Although Camille enjoyed vacationing locally, her favorite vacations included Fire Island as a child, and Holland, Italy and Switzerland.

Camille always loved animals. Her first pet was Joey, her ferret in college. She brought him home one day to her mom's dismay. Louise said he looked like a rat and was not happy but Joey quickly became one of Louise's favorite pets. Camille's next pet was her dog Muskrat, she got him while she and Joe were still married. He could be unpredictable at times, had a very strong personality, and was an ankle biter. But he also had a lot of patience for being dressed up. His presence and unconditional love for Camille helped her get through the difficult times. They were best friends for 12 years.

Her dog Simba was totally opposite Muskrat in personality. He was sweet, loving, and predictable. Everyone loved Simba! He and Camille visited nursing homes through Project Pup and brought joy to the lonely people there. Camille enjoyed visiting the nursing homes and always shared stories about her visits. Camille showered Simba with love for 7 1/2 years before she died.

Even through her struggles, Camille valued the times spent with her family. Connecticut visits were something she looked forward to and she went to visit the family there as often as she could.

Going to the local theme parks was another thing that brought Camille joy. Camille also loved good burgers and Friendly's ice cream so whenever a Friendly's was in the area, we had to stop there!

One of the last family events Camille attended was Jessica's sweet sixteen party on the Starlite Majesty Dinner Boat, Clearwater Beach. She danced, ate, and had a great time celebrating with everyone.

Camille lost her job with Aegon in 2011 during the Transamerica buyout. Luckily, she was financially self-sufficient so she chose early retirement. Camille continued to try but was unable to beat her disease of alcohol addiction and depression. The separation from her husband in 2000 was difficult for Camille but the loss of her mother Louise in 2007, and the loss of her work family at Aegon devastated her and she was never able to fully recover.

Camille went to be with the Lord on April 3, 2015 Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, FL, at the age of 54 due to liver and kidney failure.

She is survived by her father Joseph (age 90), her sister Jeanne, and her brother John. Services were held at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home in Clearwater, Florida. Camille was cremated and laid to rest in Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park where she shares the niche with her mother, Louise.

Simply stated, Camille was a kind, generous, and loving person. She had a child-like spirit that others were drawn to and she made friends quickly. She saw people from the inside out, not the outside in and never judged them by their outward appearance. She willingly reached out to people in need and gave what she could to help them out. She rarely judged others but had a heart of compassion that is rarely seen today.

Camille had an innocent naivety that always seemed to get her in trouble but gave her friends a lot of stories to laugh about and remember. Camille was always true to herself and never changed her behavior to suit those around her and that is one of the qualities her friends and loved ones remember most. She had a beautiful smile, a great laugh, and a good sense of humor.

Camille leaves behind her a legacy of life-long friendships and many cherished memories. Everyone whose life she touched will always remember Camille Paula Durnford.

* * * * * * * * * *

Durnford, Camille 53, of Palm Harbor, passed away April 3, 2015. Gathering held on Saturday, May 9th from 10 AM -1 PM, service at 1 PM at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home. Donations in lieu of flowers will be greatly appreciated in honor of Camille Moccio- Durnford. Camille had a love for dogs and donated her time to the following worthwhile organizations. Your donations to these organizations will go to funding their good cause and would be a blessing in her name. Thank you all for the love and support you have shown to us in this difficult time. Project Pup Box 3488 Seminole, FL Seminole, FL 3775 www.projectpup.net PH: 727-593-9395 Ellen Suncoast Animal League 1030 Pennsylvania Avenue Palm Harbor, FL 34683 www.suncoastanimalleague.org PH: 727-786-1330 Clearwater Marine Aquarium Attn: Development Office 249 Winward Passage Clearwater, FL 33767 www.seewinter.com Click out of email box to gray screen, then click the DONATE button and scroll down to make a donation. Put Camille's name as honoree or add to special message box. Canine Estates www.canineestates.com You can submit on-line donations here via their website PH: 727-470-9416 [email protected]