Forrest Campbell, Sr.

Forrest Wilson Campbell, Sr. died at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home on December 20, 2020, just days before his 94th birthday, after a several year battle with congestive heart failure.  He lived most of his life in Winston-Salem.  Forrest was born on December 29, 1926 in Winston-Salem to Stanford Bruce and Lillian Arline Wilson Campbell.  His birth occurred at his parents’ home.  He was the middle child of five (5) children, with his siblings being Stanford Bruce Campbell, Jr., Betty Jean Campbell Gordon, Virginia Ann Campbell Hauser, and James Seldon Campbell, Sr., all of which pre-deceased him except James.  James, who turns 90 years old in January 2021, visited with Forrest and prayed for him at the Hospice Home the day before Forrest’s death.  Arline remarked that Forrest was such an unusually good child that she feared he would not live to reach adulthood (her fears clearly were unfounded).  Forrest was a “paper boy” during high school years, and on cold winter mornings, he would lie behind the wood burning stove in Arline’s kitchen to warm up after his route.  For his birthday, Arline always made banana pudding for him—to the end, this remained his favorite birthday treat.  He attended Hanes High School during the World War II-years. Because he was a top football player and was needed by the team, and because of the dangers of the war, a teacher strongly encouraged him not to obtain all the credits he needed for his senior year so he could stay in school one more year.  He took the teacher’s recommendation; it’s impossible to know the difference this recommendation made in his long life.  He also lettered in tennis at Hanes High.  After high school, he joined the United States Army several months before the war ended.  He rose to the rank of staff sergeant as part of the occupation of Germany.  Subsequently, he enlisted for another tour during the Korean War, during which he was mainly stationed in Iceland.  In 1947, he married the love of his life Rosemary Foy Campbell, who predeceased him in 2016.  Forrest and Rosemary were married for 69 years.  One of Forrest’s most heroic accomplishments was the care he gave Rosemary during the final several years of her life.  After military service, he attended both Wake Forest College and Guilford College.  He spent his entire work career as a technical writer for Western Electric, which later became AT&T.  Career highlights include working on the Nike missile project, which involved numerous trips to White Sands, New Mexico, and working on President Jimmy Carter’s mobile communications system on location in Washington, D.C.  He attended Lee Memorial Presbyterian Church as a child, and after his marriage, he attended Green Street United Methodist Church, and later Ardmore United Methodist Church.  At Green Street, he served for many years as church treasurer and also served as a delegate to the Methodist Church’s Western North Carolina Conference.  Forrest is survived by his three children, Connie Southard of Winston-Salem, Forrest (Alicia) Campbell, Jr. of Greensboro, and Susan (Gary) Scott of Montgomery, Alabama; six grandchildren Katy (Joe) Goldsmith of Washington, D.C., Allison (Evan) Watts of Winston-Salem, Jessica (Walker) Fuller of Mill Valley, California, Ashlyn Scott of Montgomery, Alabama, Olivia Campbell of New Haven, Connecticut, and Keiran Campbell of Toronto, Canada; and two great-grandchildren, Wilson Fuller of Mill Valley, California, and Henry Goldsmith of Washington, D.C; his brother James (Mildred) Campbell, Sr. of Rural Hall; and many nieces and nephews.  Forrest loved his family and loved sports of all types, especially if UNC at Chapel Hill was involved.  Arline was right:  Forrest was good, honest, and genuine.  In fact, he donated so much blood to the Red Cross that the Red Cross asked him to make a television commercial for blood donations (he declined).  The last year of Forrest’s life—the year of COVID—was made wonderful (and bearable) by Yvonne Nelson. Yvonne tirelessly attended to Forrest six days each week, making sure he had plenty to eat, giving him her famous spa treatment once a week, fixing him snacks and hot tea, keeping everything disinfected, reading daily devotions to him, praying up a storm with him, and generally doing the work of 10 people.  Yvonne is our friend, and Connie, Forrest, and Susan thank Yvonne from the bottom of their hearts.  They also thank the entire team of Griswold Home Care, including Sheila Mann and all of the caregivers, for their support and services.  Due to COVID, the family will have a private graveside service only.  The family apologizes and asks for your understanding with respect to this very difficult decision.  Memorials may be made to Ardmore United Methodist Church, 630 S. Hawthorne Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27103 and Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, 101 Hospice Ln., Winston-Salem, NC 27103.  Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel is serving the family of Mr. Campbell.  Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.