Obituary of Bruce-B. Campbell

Campbell, Bruce B., Colonel, US Army (R) Penfield: January 20, 2008. After a lengthy and courageous battle with heart disease, he departed for a better place, where he can now be back with his beloved helicopters. Deciding early on to become a career Army Officer, he chose Army Artillery for his branch of service. He later transferred to Army Aviation where, as a First Lieutenant, he earned the wings of an Army Aviator. His military career took him to several tours of duty within the US and overseas, serving in both Korea and Vietnam. The "Colonel" proudly served his country with great love and pride for more than 30 years. His proudest military achievement, and one he greatly relished, was his being selected to serve in the elite Executive Flight Detachment, also known as the Presidential Flight Detachment, then based in Ft. Belvoir, VA, and whose sole duty was to fly the President of the United States. After a three-year tour of duty in Rochester where he was assigned as Advisor to the 98th Infantry Division and where he enjoyed the friendship and welcome of so many, he was sent back to the Pentagon in Washington, DC, deciding to retire from there. He returned to Rochester, where he earned his MBA at the RIT. He joined the Rochester Rotary Club, where he enjoyed the camaraderie and great friendships, as well as volunteering for various projects, which he used to say is "what Rotary is all about". Alongside many new friends and members of the medical community, he was also a member of the Rochester General Hospital Foundation Board. In his adopted Town of Penfield, he was an active member of the Republican Committee and also a member of the Planning Board, serving under then Town Supervisor, Channing Philbrick. He is survived by his wife, Marie, who was at his side in death as she had been in life, by the love of his life, their daughter Linda Marie Campbell, and by her husband Gregory Bedigian. Predeceased by his brother Billy, he is survived by his older brother Robert of Odessa, MO; his sister-in-law Mary Campbell of Salem, SC; his nieces Monica (Charles) Wassell of Helena, MT and Teri (Thomas) Duffy of Marshall, MI; and his nephew and namesake R. Bruce Campbell of Kansas City, MO. He is also lovinglysurvived by cousins-in-law, Mrs. Erich Schroeder and the entire Schroeder family of California; Esperanza (Alex) MacGillivray of Victoria, Canada; the Escolano family of Spain; Werner and Annette Knecht of Switzerland; and very dear and caring old friends, LTC Robert and Dixie Williams of Atlanta, Ga. There will be no calling hours. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, February 9, 2008 at 9 AM at the Church of the Assumption, 20 East Ave., Fairport, with Fr. Edward Palumbos officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations honoring Bruce's memory may be made to the Rotary Club of Rochester, or to Rochester General Hospital Foundation (benefit of the Rochester Heart Institute), or to a charity of one's choice. Anthony Funeral & Cremation Chapels 1031 Ridge Rd., Webster 872-6380