Pat Campbell Obituary

Campbell
Pat Campbell
September 22, 1944
October 12, 2025

Pat Campbell died October 12 after a brief and painful battle with metastatic kidney cancer. Born Patricia Florence Swanson in Chicago, Illinois to Roy Swanson and Johanna (Jo) Pierce, she was preceded in death by her parents as well as her brothers Roy and Robert Swanson. Woe to ANYONE who dared address her by her childhood nickname, Patty Flo. She chose to be Pat and wore the name proudly, boldly and decisively.
She leaves behind the heart-broken love of her life, Paul Douglas Campbell. They "timed" their wedding just right - so that it landed exactly between his birthday on September 20 and her birthday on the 22nd. Their grateful children appreciated this timing as it necessitated the purchase of only ONE gift for the parental holiday. Pat's children and grandchildren are all so humbled and grateful to witness the love, partnership, deep friendship and commitment she and Paul embodied throughout their 64 years together. They never stopped dating and holding hands and they never stopped liking each other. Both Paul and Pat said (independently, unprompted) that at any given time they would rather be with each other than with anyone else on the planet. She was able to share one last birthday/anniversary extravaganza with her beloved honey and all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren before her passing.
She was a beloved mom to Karole, Jeff (Vicki) and Ted Campbell; interested, active and engaged grandma to Brianne (Mark Weakland) and Christopher (Britney) Vallero, Tim, Shannon, Brighid, Chloe, Sylvia "Vee" and Emmett Campbell and Owen and Ivy Campell as well as three bonus grandchildren, Morgan Kaye and Daphne and Jack Rickman. One of the greatest joys of her life was being "Gigi" to Hadleigh and William Weakland, her first great-grandchildren.
Pat loved the "littles" the best and so many nieces and nephews said she was their favorite aunt as she always took time to speak with them one-on-one and treated them with the same respect no matter their age. An absolute force of nature, Pat continued to make an impact on her husband, family and community until her diagnosis stopped her. She drove to regular weekly bridge games til she couldn't, made sure she and Paul had regular movie and restaurant dates as well as drives around the region, and made sure she had as much time as she could with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was beloved by family, friends, neighbors and small children everywhere.
Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life on October 25 from 1-4 pm. at Marcroft Hall in Chipita Park. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.