Juanita R. Campbell

Juanita Campbell, 88, of Indianapolis, passed away on January 12, 2022. She was born on September 27, 1933 in Indiana to Homer and Helen Watson. Visitation will be at Flanner and Buchanan-Washington Park East, 10722 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46229 on Saturday January 15, 2022 from 11.30am to 1.30pm with funeral service to follow.

Juanita graduated from Dover High School in 1951. She initially went into the WAVES (the Women’s US Navy Reserve), and for a few years worked in the military at Ft. Benjamin Harrison. Juanita then married Robert (BOB) Campbell  June 1, 1957, and she worked for 38 years for Social Security Administration before retiring in 2002 (at the insistence of Bob, who had preceded her in retirement and swore she would never retire.)

Juanita was born during the Great Depression and grew up the 3^rd of 8 siblings on a farm in a house with no indoor plumbing. Juanita was tough but fair and was fiercely loyal to family and friends. Music was always playing at our house  growing up, from all genres: from country, to Elvis, from old time church hymns to the Top 10 pop standards of the day, to the 3 tenors singing opera.  Juanita played piano and she loved to dance and she was constantly on the move. Playing cards in her family was considered a necessary “life skill”.  The 4 sisters were always learning new card games to teach each other and the marathon card playing sessions could go on for hours with all of the appropriate table talking during the games; as table talking was not only encouraged but admired and ‘stealing the deal’ was your own fault if you failed to grab the cards quick enough.

While most knew that Juanita and Bob traveled quite extensively starting right after their marriage in 1957, most did not know that Juanita had traveled quite a bit on her own prior to getting married.  Juanita had stayed with her cousin Rosie in Hawaii while being in the WAVES for 3 months after high school graduation and then traveled the west with family prior to marrying Bob. Initial trips with Bob & Juanita were cross country in a 2 man GI pup tent and later graduated to a pop up camper and van when the kids came along. They traveled to all 50 states and most of the Canadian provinces and territories and then started international travel.  International travel included 76 countries and all 7 continents, including Antarctica, where they had to use an icebreaker ship to get through the Drake Passage to walk with the Emperor penguins.

Juanita is now with Bob in her new home, nagging him about all of the clutter from his book and magazine collections and getting a chance to play cards with loved ones that have gone on before her.  Juanita is survived by son Duane (Kimberly) Campbell; daughters Tracy Campbell and Shari (Mark) Spohn;  4 grandchildren: Aaron, Audrey, Austin and Anna (Mitch) and his brother William (Sandy) Campbell. Please donate to the charity of your choice in Juanita’s name in lieu of flowers.