John Kay Campbell
Nov. 9, 1928-May 14, 2025
Orcutt, California
John Kay Campbell, “Kay” to family, age 96, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2025, after a long and full life, leaving behind a legacy of curiosity, resilience, and love for family.
Born in 1928 in Sacramento, California, John’s early years were shaped by the hardships of the Great Depression. He grew up moving between California, the Ozarks of Missouri, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as his family searched for work. Life on the farm and those lean times left a big impression on him—fueling a lifelong appreciation for resourcefulness, self-reliance and frankly a little penny-pinching. His brother Roger was a constant companion during those early years.
As a teenager, John’s family settled in San Bruno, where he formed an important group of friends through his local Boy Scouts—an experience that remained important to him throughout his life. He spent much of his youth outdoors, camping in the Sierra Nevada, the Coast Range, and Yosemite, and developed a deep connection to nature. One summer, he and his brother Roger volunteered with the U.S. Forest Service, helping cut trails through rugged terrain and removing invasive plants in western Washington and Idaho—an experience he often recalled with pride.
He went on to attend junior college and later transferred to UC Berkeley, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. Before he went on to graduate studies, he joined the army and was stationed in South Korea where he was a military analyst. That experience led to a lifelong interest in South Korea and its people. When he returned, he pursued graduate studies in political science at Berkeley and began law school at Stanford University. He was a Bears fan at heart though and reminisced about living at the International House and walking the hills behind the campus. With his good friend Jack Farmar, they continued to attend Cal band performances. He eventually settled into working as an insurance adjuster for 20 years, and was happy to retire early and move on to other adventures.
John had a lot of interests – he studied many languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Russian. He was also fascinated by science and engineering, revisiting ideas and inventions over the decades. When his children were young, he famously built a backyard "flying saucer" to test some principles of aviation. This was quite confusing to neighbors who could see over the fence. Even in his 90s, he was still thinking about how to improve aircraft lift using wind patterns – in his final days, he told his doctor he needed to live longer so he could finish passing that idea on to his son-in-law Eric to pursue with the patent office. He remained intellectually curious to the end.
Over the years, John’s shared his life with three partners. John met his first wife, Antoinette Campbell (Im Po Reigh), during the Korean War. They moved to Palo Alto, California, where they had two children, Susan and Cynthia. John lived in Palo Alto for over 50 years, where he spent many jubilant hours at the piano — more enthusiastic than tuneful, but always with heart. Later, he shared many adventures—travel and gambling included—with his second partner, Hellen Burr. In his later years, his wife Sun Parker provided valued companionship as they drove up and down the central coast between their homes. John liked to stop and eat at Oku in Santa Barbara, his favorite sushi place.
John often told stories about early days on the farm in Missouri, where he lived with his two sets of grandparents who had houses close to each other. Those times in Missouri could be hard, and he often told a story about how one winter they only had turnips to eat. They eventually returned to California for his dad to find more work, where they settled in San Bruno.
In his early 20s, he and his childhood friend Bob Whitbeck hitchhiked to New York and caught a ship to Europe, where they spent a summer biking around – he talked about that trip a lot. He remained active and independent over years, attempting to climb to the summit of Mt. Whitney in his 70s. He enjoyed playing basketball most of his life, and did so into his 80s at the YMCA. He was still driving up until his final days, enjoying the freedom of the open road, as he put it.
John deeply valued family. He often told stories of his early years spent with his relatives—cousins like Dow Campbell and Bertha Bonds and his grandparents —and he passed on that connection through his storytelling. John had a wry sense of humor and appreciated the absurdities in life. The last few months were a struggle for him, but he could find times to laugh at his “predicament” with his caretaker, Tammy. During various hospital stays, he would roll his eyes at his challenges but was always kind and appreciative to the staff who helped him. He stayed sharp to the end, and left this world satisfied and with his sense of humor. He will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife Sun Parker, daughter Cynthia Campbell and son-in-law Eric Thompson and grandchildren Oliver and Lia Thompson, daughter Susan Campbell and son-in-law Scott Anderson, his niece Sharon Campbell, and nephews Ron and Dennis Campbell and families.
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