John Campbell of McKinney, Texas passed away December 28, 2017, at the age of 84. He was born April 7, 1933,in Camden, New Jersey, to James Campbell and Mary (Burns) Campbell . John married Sally Featherston on May 11, 1974, in Garland, Texas. He is, and will be, dearly missed as a husband, a father and a friend.
He is survived by his wife, Sally Campbell of McKinney; daughter, Helen Bergman and husband Gary of Sherman, Texas, sons, Lebron Featherston of McKinney and John Eric Campbell and wife Alicia of Denver, Colorado; grandchildren, Kathariana, Makayla, Eric, Carrie, Wyatt, and John, Natasha and J.D.; great-grandchildren, Aiden, Jonah, Lynzee, Skylett, Regis, and Liam; brother, Barry Campbell and wife Lorraine of Rogersville, Tennessee; and sister, Hannah Diego and husband Vic of West Palm Beach, Florida.
John was preceded in death by his son, John Campbell, daughter, Karin Featherston, parents, and brothers, Jim Campbell, Ken Campbell, and Bruce Campbell.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 2708 Virginia Parkway, McKinney, Texas 75071. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Tuesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas.
A Little More About John Campbell
Not everyone knew it, but John was a remarkably good athlete. He won high jump competitions when he was young, could do standing backflip, and could walk on his hands. Even as he aged, he was talented. John was an exceptional roller-skater, could hustle anyone at pool, played tennis well, excelled at ping-pong, and even in his 80s on oxygen, he could hit a golf ball 200 yards.
John was also smart, his IQ in the army ranked him in the top 1% of all people and it showed in his life. He was the most successful restaurant manager, for a time, in all of the Big Boys franchise. John learned to work on cars, dump trucks, and machines. He could build a house from the ground up. John could grade the pad, pour the concrete, frame the house, wire it, plumb it, tile it, and paint it. But he didn’t just work with his hands, John went back to college when he was in his 50s. He took every accounting class the college offered, simply because he was interested. This led him to do the books for his church and ultimately, when he retired from working on roads, he started working for Hank Haney Golf Ranch. John did the books for the entire company, managing multiple properties, for ten years. Along the way he met Mark O’Meara, Hunter Mahan, and Tiger Woods.
He was a man that took time to know. John was stern, stubborn, and a prone to the old ways. But, he was also tender, thoughtful, and endearingly ornery to those he loved. Family was central to his life. He loved his children and he adored his wife, Sally. In his old age, his commitment did not waiver. A couple of years ago, when he was really too sick to fly, he went to his family reunion anyway. They tried to take him to the hospital when he got off the plane, but he refused. He said he had a family reunion to attend.
John was a devout Christian to the end. He belonged to Our Savior Lutheran in McKinney for the last 37 years of his life. He helped build the first building there, and then for good measure, helped build the addition years later. He served in a variety of capacities for the church, including working on the board to recruit a pastor, playing in the bell choir, doing the books, and helping with the website in the early days of the internet.
In his last years, John beat a heart attack and battled renal failure. He was a fighter, so he lived with COPD for 30 years. He kept his faith in God to the end. John died with his wife by his side and is now at peace.