Obituary for James Campbell
James Wilson Campbell, 86, of Montclair, N.J., passed away peacefully on March 18, 2023.
Family and friends are invited for visitation on Wednesday, March 22, from 6-8 pm at Shook’s Cedar Grove Funeral Home, 486 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, N.J.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 20, 1936, Jimmy was raised by his mother and grandparents after his father, a British fighter pilot, was killed during World War II. The family survived multiple Luftwaffe bombings during the war.
Jimmy enjoyed regaling friends with colorful stories of his youth in the rough and tumble of 1950’s Glasgow, where according to Jimmy, if you still had your front teeth by the age of 21, people questioned your moxie. Jimmy was missing a few teeth.
He was an apprentice welder in Glasgow at age 16 and achieved “certified” status on his union card. Following his father into the service, Jimmy served in the Merchant Navy as a NATO combat engineer in Cyprus during the Cypriot Emergency then emigrated to New Jersey in the mid-1960s. He was a highly skilled welder who worked on the construction of the World Trade Center from its groundbreaking and later operated his own ironworks business, AGA Welding, working on a variety of commercial and industrial projects, including refurbishment of the wrought iron fencing around Montclair’s Van Vleck gardens and museum. Jimmy also produced artistic pieces for friends. He was an avid reader of British history, popular fiction, and biographies, and enjoyed playing soccer and racquetball.
In his later years, after retirement, Jimmy lived a life of quiet service and faith. “If I need something,” he liked to say, “it shows up; if it doesn’t show up, I didn’t need it.”
Jimmy is survived by his daughters Margaret Suppa and Evelyn Campbell, a son Scott Campbell, and countless friends. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the charity of your choice in Jimmy’s memory.
Family and friends are invited for visitation on Wednesday, March 22, from 6-8 pm at Shook’s Cedar Grove Funeral Home, 486 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, N.J.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 20, 1936, Jimmy was raised by his mother and grandparents after his father, a British fighter pilot, was killed during World War II. The family survived multiple Luftwaffe bombings during the war.
Jimmy enjoyed regaling friends with colorful stories of his youth in the rough and tumble of 1950’s Glasgow, where according to Jimmy, if you still had your front teeth by the age of 21, people questioned your moxie. Jimmy was missing a few teeth.
He was an apprentice welder in Glasgow at age 16 and achieved “certified” status on his union card. Following his father into the service, Jimmy served in the Merchant Navy as a NATO combat engineer in Cyprus during the Cypriot Emergency then emigrated to New Jersey in the mid-1960s. He was a highly skilled welder who worked on the construction of the World Trade Center from its groundbreaking and later operated his own ironworks business, AGA Welding, working on a variety of commercial and industrial projects, including refurbishment of the wrought iron fencing around Montclair’s Van Vleck gardens and museum. Jimmy also produced artistic pieces for friends. He was an avid reader of British history, popular fiction, and biographies, and enjoyed playing soccer and racquetball.
In his later years, after retirement, Jimmy lived a life of quiet service and faith. “If I need something,” he liked to say, “it shows up; if it doesn’t show up, I didn’t need it.”
Jimmy is survived by his daughters Margaret Suppa and Evelyn Campbell, a son Scott Campbell, and countless friends. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the charity of your choice in Jimmy’s memory.