Thomas J. Campbell

THOMAS J. CAMPBELL, 95, of Brecksville, Oh, passed away on April 10, 2025. Tom Campbell enjoyed a life well lived. A devoted husband and father who never met a stranger, he was curious, gregarious, an avid golfer, and devoted to his Catholic faith. Born October 8, 1929, in Auburn, NY, Tom was the youngest of four children born to Thomas Joseph Campbell and Barbara Helen (McMahon). He was in the first (1951) graduating class of Lemoyne College in Syracuse N.Y. During his 2nd year of college, with little musical interest or ability, he joined the college chorus so that he could meet the accompanist, fellow student Jane Elizabeth Brown. They were married sixty years. After six years of service in the US Air Force, he attended the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, earning a master’s degree in health care administration. He began his administrative career at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, followed by positions at Good Shepherd Hospital in Syracuse, NY, and Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Missouri. He later joined the Association of American Medical Colleges, where he directed studies on the financial aspects of teaching hospitals in 86 U.S. medical centers. He returned to hospital administration in 1973, as CEO of University Hospital, Upstate Medical Center, in Syracuse NY. Under his leadership, Upstate became a resource hospital for regional emergency departments, opened a Burn Center, a pediatric emergency room and intensive care unit, a regional oncology center, and became a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. In 1985, he joined the Eastern Virginia Medical Authority, Medical College of Hampton Roads, a recently established medical school and hospital. Throughout his career, he served as a consultant to federal, state and private organizations involved with health care education and health care delivery. He was granted an honorary doctorate degree by the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. After retiring from hospital administration in 1994, he surveyed hospitals across the country for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations until 2006. He had many interests, including civil war history, biking, camping, fishing and traveling. He and Jane, their four children, the occasional cousin, and a dog (or two) undertook many an epic cross-country camping trip. Always active and having joined two golf leagues in the Hampton Roads area, he celebrated achieving a hole in one in his eighties.

Mr. Campbell was predeceased by his wife, Jane, in July 2012, and is survived by their four children: Thomas J. Campbell, Jr. (Donna), Martha Mary Kutik (David), Andrew Francis Campbell (Fran Rifici), and Mary Therese Streett (David); as well as 9 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, and many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews. A memorial Mass will be held on May 14, 2025 11:00 A.M. at St Nicholas Catholic Church, 712 Little Neck Rd #5807, Virginia Beach, VA, 23452.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Tom’s memory to LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/39456/donations/new, or Jennings Center for Older Adults in Garfield Heights, Ohio, https://www.jenningsohio.org/donate.

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