John Campbell Memoriam

September 10, 2010
Greetings,
I am Brad Peine from Minier, Illinois. Ten minutes ago my wife Ava, who didn’t grow up around here, said she’d just read an obituary about John M. Campbell. She never met John, having grown up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but his name stuck out in her memories of my past, so she inquired, “didn’t you know a John Campbell”? I immediately replied I did, so she read me the obit as I thought to myself, “let it be some other John Campbell, not THE John Campbell I have such fond memories of from many, years ago. When she read John’s middle initial was ‘M’, I thought, I don’t know John’s middle initial right off, it’s possibly not the guy I knew. Then she read he was a ‘former educator’ and I worried, “that possibly lines up with the John who was my principal”. Next the obituary mentioned his banking background and my heart sunk. Not wanting to believe the likelihood this might be the John I knew, I IMMEDIATELY went to retrieve some correspondence from John to my father, Mose Peine, which John sent Dad, nearly 30 years ago. I remembered it was stationery with John’s name, so maybe it would have a middle initial. I keep this precious letter in a fire proof cabinet in our basement. (Sadly, upon putting my hands on it, I quickly noticed it was indeed from a John M Campbell, on American National Bank & Trust Company of Chicago stationery.) I have referred to that letter many, many times over the years because it ALWAYS makes me laugh and brings to mind John’s smile I remembered so well from the past, and his hearty laughter which so frequently accompanied that smile. And for me personally, it also reminded me of the smiles and laughter my Dad and I shared that special day at work when he asked me to close his office door behind me and sit down to read John’s letter. I read it, grinned, then looked up at Dad who was grinning, and giggling. I progressed from a grin to giggling and soon we were both laughing so hard together we each had tears in our eyes.
God Bless you all. Please know that your loss is shared back here in Minier, Illinois, under the trees and along the streets where John used to walk with us.
Sincerely,
Brad Peine, a John M. Campbell fan from way back

John was one of my teachers in Wenona, IL. He was so much fun and we all loved him so much. I am thinking of your family in your time of loss.

Penny Burgess Blum