Blog Master G

“Nothing is worth more than this day.”
– Goethe

Donald A. Campbell
January 7, 1919 – January 9, 2006

Donald Campbell, the last of my original four grandparents, passed away late last night. He is survived by my obasan Tomiko, my mom, and my uncle Bruce. I last saw grandpa Don when I visited him and the rest of my Pennsylvania/Ohio family in September 2004. We had a really fun dinner together, and grandpa Don was having a jolly ol’ time, despite suffering from Alzheimer’s for the past decade. I also spent some time with him in late 2003 during our cross-country drive.

Growing up the opposite side of the country from Grandfather, I never really had the chance to know him as well as I would have liked to, but I know that he was an incredibly kind, caring, and intelligent man. He and Tomiko came to visit us nearly every Christmas while Peter and I were growing up. He was an engineer by training, so I’m sure the technical side of my brain can be traced to his genes. I’ll never forget the year he built the driveway basketball hoop for us. That hoop brought me, my brother, and all our childhood friends hours of entertainment, day and night, for many years. By the time my family left that house in 1995, Peter and I had been dunking balls on the eight-foot rim for years.

Grandfather helped inspire and partially fund my wonderful education from the day I turned 1. He and Tomiko sent me a savings bond for college every year without fail. By the time I went to college, I cashed in the savings bonds that had matured. Some of them have still not fully matured, so I’ve hung onto them in hopes that one day my children will be able to use them for part of their education, and I can tell them that their great grandfather helped pay for their education, too.

Grandpa Don is the third family member I’ve lost in four years, following Nana in 2002 and Patty in 2003.

This latest loss is yet another reminder to live every day to the fullest, never taking your life or the time you spend with family and friends for granted. I know I appreciate every day I’m alive, and I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful wife, family, and friends.

Rest in peace, Grandfather. You’ll be missed.