John H Campbell

Campbell, John H. "Jack", age 74, of Oakwood, passed away Friday Sept 2, 2016 at Catawba Island Club, Port Clinton, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his parents, John A. Campbell and Charlotte (Gerstner) Campbell. Born in Dayton, Ohio he was nearly a lifelong resident of Oakwood. He was a graduate of Oakwood High School, class of 1960. Upon graduation from Wilmington College with his BS Degree, Jack joined the Air Force as an Officer. After his honorable discharge from the military, Jack and his family moved around to several places before returning to Oakwood. Jack returned to Oakwood to follow in his grandfather's footsteps at H. Gerstner & Sons located on the shore of the Great Miami River in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Jack purchased the company in 1976 from another lifelong member of the Dayton community, his great uncle, Harold Leland who married Harriet Gerstner (youngest daughter of Harry Gerstner founder of H. Gerstner & Sons). He has served as President and CEO of the company since 1976. Jack was very active in the community throughout his life including the following an Oakwood Soccer Coach, Junior Achievement Leader, Toastmasters, Homestead Federal Savings and Loan Board Member, Downtown Dayton Rotary Club Former Member, Four Seasons Yacht Club Member, Dayton Art Institute Member, Ta-Wa-Si Club Member and Past President, Dinner Group on Tuesday evenings at The Oakwood Club for over 30 years, Dunbar Society Member at Dayton History, Dayton Sail & Power Squadron Executive Officer, Dayton Country Club (DCC) Member, Catawba Island Club (CIC) Member and '"B" Dock Captain. Jack was a master woodworking craftsman and designer. He was also gifted with songwriting and musical instruments, especially the guitar. Throughout his life, Jack was an avid softball player, tennis player, pickleball player, snow and water skier, soccer player, dirt bike rider, hiking "14ers" in Colorado and golfer. But his true lifelong passions (after his wife, Nancy) were travelling, boating and completing The Great Loop plus extensive boating on both the Ohio River and Great Lakes together, Jack & Nancy boating several thousands of miles. Jack is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Nancy (Johannes) Campbell, who was also from the Oakwood class of 1960. Jack leaves behind his wife Nancy, children Kim (Campbell) Brown (Culver class of 1987) and her husband Maurice Brown, Scott Campbell (Oakwood class of 1989) and his wife Vicki (Lee) Campbell (Oakwood class of 1989) plus Grandchildren Ian Campbell (Oakwood class of 2016) and Brenna Campbell (Oakwood class of 2019). Survived by his siblings; brother, James T. Campbell (wife, Thurza) of Sherborn, MA, and brother, W. Geoff Campbell (wife, Sherrie) of Colorado Springs, CO, sister, Jane Campbell of Dayton, OH. plus, brother-in-law Harry J. Johannes of Dayton, OH. Beloved by dozens of Nieces, Nephews, Cousins and their extended families. Memorial Service will be held 4:00 pm at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 East Stroop Road, on Saturday, September 10th, 2016. The family will receive friends following the memorial service at the Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, friends may make a memorial contribution to their favorite charity or for a Memorial Flag Pole for Jack at Gerstner & Sons. In the few years that Jack and Nancy were members of CIC, Jack became known by all. He was a consummate boater, competitive golfer and pickleball player. He was always thoughtful of others and generous of his time and efforts, especially on B dock. You could always count on Jack being the first one on the Pickleball courts every Saturday and Sunday rain or shine. While Jack played competitively, he also enjoyed mentoring new players and would be the first to partner with them. As an expert mariner, he relished in the details of the journey as well as the intricacies of operating Campbell's Sloop. If an alarm went off, he knew the problem and later could be found in the engine room fixing the cause. His generous side would invite others to share the spare cabin on Club Cruises and be the first to offer guests a glass of wine. But while he was the Captain, it was not without a lot of help from his first mate Nancy, who shared in their nautical experiences. While he was at the helm of Campbell's Sloop, Nancy would be on the bow with her headset on providing him with that gentle guidance so characteristic of her. Later they would compare notes over a drink. But it wasn't all sports or boats with Jack, he had an artistic side as well, treating us with his musical compositions at our talent show or taking center stage at Karaoke. As friends of Jack, we are shocked and deeply saddened by his untimely passing and will miss him dearly. We have lost a great friend and he will always be remembered by all of us at Catawba Island Club. Jack, we will leave a place for you at our Sunday night chicken dinners! Nancy, we hope you remain part of the CIC family and help fill the void that Jack has left. Tony & Kat Jachnycky We are saddened to hear of Jack's passing and know you will miss him. Spending time with Jack and Nancy while they lived in Stonebridge was never a dull moment. It was so easy to write this from the heart as we enjoyed every moment with Jack and Nancy. Hal and I remember meeting your parents for the first time in Colorado. Both wearing cowboy hats and heavy striped wool jackets. They looked like natives. We would four wheel drive up behind our houses to Waldo Canyon and have cheese and crackers and our daily fruit allowance (wine😀). It didn't take much for our Stonebridge gang to throw a party of some sort and we always hated to see Jack and Nancy return to Ohio. We were thrilled when they stayed with us here in Greeley, SC and when Hal and I stayed with them in their lovely home in Oakwood they were perfect hosts. We enjoyed them so much and remember such wonderful times together. Hal & Donna Chafin

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429