George Isaiah Campbell, Sr.

On April 3, 1917, William Agustus Campbell and Annie Rachel Johnson Campbell gave birth to George Isaiah Campbell at his maternal grandmother's home in Holly Grove, MD. He was the 6th of 7 brothers. When George was a little older, the family moved to a small farm on Bryant's Nursery Rd. They later sold the farm and moved back to his maternal grandmother's home. All of his brothers preceded him in death, William, Charles, Clarence, John, Walt and James.

George was a very enthusiastic student in Montgomery County Schools, however at an early age his father took him out of school to help on the farm. George was intrigued by machinery which was a hallmark of his family. He and his brother Swamp (James) were able to build a car from scrap pieces for their pleasure and transportation, though they couldn't figure out how to put on two headlights. They used a wooden board for the seating, no regard for creature comforts. Their parents admonished them never to drive the car off the farm. However, George and Swamp were both adventurous and inquisitive, so when their parents were away, they went out looking for trouble. Swamp was the instigator of these misdeeds. No bad deed went unpunished or undiscovered, their father caught them and gave them chase. However, he was unable to catch them, because their put together car was faster than his.

The Campbell Christian values gave George his moral compass which guided him through life. The center of their religious upbringing was Sharp Street Methodist Church, and his mother insured they were in the pews every Sunday morning. Later in life, on his own, he went to Round Oak Baptist Church drawn there by the good music and singing. At his passing, he was a member of Wesleyan Fellowship Church in Sandy Spring, Maryland.

His cousin convinced him to hook church one Sunday morning and go to his mother in law's house, where he met the love of his life, Georgianna. They wed April 1939. As a result of that marriage, they had two offspring Gloria and George Jr. George and Georgianna had a great life together, "where you saw one, you saw the other." Traveling, being very active in the community, there probably was not a club or organization in Sandy Spring that they were not members of. The couple also threw some of the best parties on Brooke Road.

George started his work life with High's Ice Cream Company and later went onto work for WSSC. He was drafted into the US Navy in February 1945 during World War II. He was stationed at Bain­ bridge, MD from there transferred to Treasure Island, CA by train. He boarded the USS Stormes DD 780 ship to the North Pole to escort the Midway, an aircraft carrier. He went on to Iceland and Greenland, then back to warm waters. He served his country proudly for a little over a year, then was honorably discharged in April 1946. George often spoke of his fear of planes. When he was discharged, his captain told him he could take the plane and be home by evening. George said, "Nope Sir. I'm just fine. I'll go home the way I got here, thank you." It took him an additional two and a half weeks to get home by ship then train. His wife was not happy.

Following his stint in the Navy, George returned home to his family and then back to work at WSSC. He was employed there and worked his way up from water boy to supervising a fifteen man crew in home connection. After 43 years he retired in December 1978. During his tenure, he bought a piece of land where they soon began construction on the family home. The Campbell’s moved into their new home on George's birthday in 1949 where he lived until his passing.

After years of love and adventures, Georgianna passed after almost 71 years of marriage. Despite not having his partner by his side, George continued to thrive in Sandy Spring. He went to church every Sunday and after church he drove about 5 miles to have dinner with his cousins. He visited the Ross Boddy Center every Tuesday and Thursday to play bingo, dominoes, exercise, learned to line dance and to socialize with the seniors. He still cooked and washed his clothes, moving with people nearly half his age, his mind was still sharp as ever shortly before he received his crown earlier this month.

He leaves to mourn his passing his daughter Gloria C. Jones; his son George I. Campbell Jr.; 3 grandchildren Tanya, Troy and George III (Jino); great grandchildren Courtney, Lauren, Isaiah, Alexis, Haylei and others; and great-great grandchildren Micah, Brandon and others; and a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends.

George was the pillar of his five generation family and an inspiration to everyone he met.

This man will truly be missed

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