John Hyden Campbell

The youngest child of Doc and Emma Campbell was the wild one! He was never one to mince words, sugar coat the truth or walk from a debate.

John loved to hang out with his kids; Kelly, John (Aimee), Melody (Don Longhofer) and grandkids, Sydney, Chelsi (Parker Ferguson), Jacob, Josh, Samantha, Maren, Emilee & Peyton.

In 2016 John met his love, Linda Zellner. Linda along with her kids Rod (Sherri), Terri (Mike Crain) and Tom III as well as Linda’s grandchildren embraced him as a part of their family.

Entertainer, grill master and breeze shooter…that’s what you got when you came to the back porch! With some sort of libation and big smile, he always made sure everyone was well fed and mildly entertained.

John worked for 40+ years in the transportation industry serving as President of the Central Ohio Traffic Club in 1995-96, supporting friends and attending very regular “tariff meetings” at China Town all through the 80s and 90s. At the young age of 76, he decided to try his hand as an entrepreneur, taking a share in the Warehouse Tavern. You could find him there several days a week talking with regulars, sharing stories and inviting you to come back. He truly enjoyed the friends he made and the opportunity to become involved in both the business and the Mansfield community.

Proud of his heritage, John loved letting you know that he was from Hazard, KY. His father was a coal miner and around 1944 the family made the trek to Ohio. Initially in the Middletown, OH area, they moved north to their farm on the Blackfork near the intersection of Routes 13 & 96 in Mansfield. Times were rough and on occasion you could get him to talk about sleeping in a corn crib, hunting for the day’s food and doing chores. He never complained, just mentioned it as a matter-of-fact. That’s where he was from, not where he was going.

Making diamonds out of coal was his way of life. He viewed his five bouts with cancer as an opportunity to meet new friends. A trip to the hospital was a chance to encourage nurses and doctors to be their best. His pure sense of objectivity helped him provide sound advice and trustworthy counsel.

John cherished his people be they family, adopted family or life-long friends. If you were his friend, you were his friend forever. John was known for telling the truth, displaying integrity and lifting up others. He would do anything for you. His greatest joy came from seeing those whose lives he touched, do well.

John passed quietly on December 7, 2020. The man we called Dad, Grandpa, Papa John, Pops, and Uncle Johnny, along with other affectionate nicknames, has joined the many friends and family who preceded him. Doc, Emma and his siblings, Juanita (Bill Morris), Pauline (Fred Baughman), Mary (Ray Blevins), Eliza (Cecil Puckett), Bill (Wanda) shall wait no more!

He knew that you are who you are and deep inside, he knew there was somewhere glorious on the other side. That’s where he is, now!

Current state regulations are prohibiting us from celebrating John’s life as we would like. There will be a graveside service held at Springmill Cemetery, Ontario, Ohio, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2020. The family will host a Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 22, 2021 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Diamond Street Home of Wappner Funeral Directors, 99 S. Diamond Street, Mansfield, Ohio, where we can gather again as friends, share stories, and properly recognize the man, the legend, John Campbell.

We would appreciate donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Shriners Hospitals for Children in lieu of flowers.

St. Jude’s: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/GiftFunds/GiftFunds?px=6883516&pg=personal&fr_id=39300 Or search JOHN CAMPBELLI at the St. Jude’s website.

Shriner’s: https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/In-Memory-of-John-Campbell