Jean (Hames) Campbell was born on October 8, 1935 in Mt. George, Arkansas. She grew up on a farm during the Depression, and lost her mom to a massive stroke at age 16. She nevertheless graduated from high school early, and she and her dad and one of her sisters moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. She first spotted Tommy Campbell during a church service at the 10th & Rockford Church of Christ. She said he was “the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.” They began dating, and saw “The King & I” on their first date. They were married in 1957.
Jean & Tommy moved to Dallas, where their two daughters were born: Cheryl in 1958, and Cathy in 1960. In 1965, they moved to Phoenix, where Jean worked for the Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. She was one of the earliest enrollees in a newly formed HMO, now known as CIGNA. Jean then joined an independent insurance agent as his office manager, where she worked until retirement in 2001.
In spite of being employed full-time, Jean managed to prepare a full dinner every night, in addition to making beautiful clothes for herself and her daughters. She even made clothes for their dolls (including Barbie dolls!). She taught her daughters how to sew and cook, and fostered a love of reading in them both, by reading to them from the time they were toddlers. Every two weeks, she took the girls to the library. After they moved to a new housing subdivision in 1969, the nearest choice was a bookmobile -- but they still went every two weeks.
Jean made time for God in her life by not only attending church regularly, but teaching Sunday School for many years, participating in potlucks and devotionals, and visiting the elderly in nursing homes. In later years, she and Ruby Franklin teamed up to make these visits, and also stopped for lunch or shopping on the way. She said that whenever Ruby discovered she had made a wrong turn, she simply referred to it as an “adventure,” and they just made the best of it.
Jean had many hobbies in addition to reading and making her own visual aids for Sunday School classes. She was a brilliant seamstress, and would stop to buy fabric on her way home from work, then get up early the next morning and begin working on a dress, which she'd have completed within a couple of days. She was passionate about gardening, and grew flowers, tomatoes, plums, grapes, etc. – all while working full-time. She also loved to swim, and went for long walks during the winter. She worked jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and joined the family for backyard games of horseshoes or croquet, or inside games of Yahtzee or Wahoo. She used to freeze candy canes used to decorate the Christmas tree, then smash them up in June or July and make delicious homemade peppermint ice cream. She and Tommy also loved to travel, making frequent day trips within AZ while the girls were young, later becoming “Zonies” who descended on San Diego on weekends. They also enjoyed a fabulous trip to Kauai before she retired. Jean visited family in Oklahoma and Arkansas once or twice a year for many years.
Jean will be most remembered for her calm, loving temperament, her unfailing kindness, and the love she felt for everyone from family members to casual acquaintances. She provided a daily reminder of Christ's admonition to “. . . love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
A public visitation for Jean will be held Friday, June 25, 2021 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM at Green Acres Glendale Mortuary, 5830 West Missouri Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301, followed by a funeral service at 2:00 PM.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.GreenAcresGlendaleMort.com for the Campbell family.
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