Stephen Alan Campbell

Stephen Alan Campbell, 83, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2026. He was a man who valued hard work, excellence and always doing it right if you were going to do it all. He loved his people, even if he didn’t say it often. He was a force who instilled integrity and drive in his children. He was loved.

Steve was born on June 30th, 1942, in Media, PA. His family later moved to Atlantic Beach, FL, where he attended Duncan U. Fletcher high school and then Admiral Farragut Academy. After high school, Steve moved to Portland, OR, where he worked aboard a seismic survey ship as a deck hand and junior observer. He then went on to Ocala Community College before transferring to Oklahoma State University where he met the love of his life, Melissa (Lisa) Campbell. After marriage, the pair went to Florida State University where Steve finished his degree, and the couple welcomed their son in May 1967.

Five days after graduation, Steve was drafted in to the army and was the only one of 18 to pass the test to enter the Navy. He was sent to the Pensacola Naval Base. Achieving his wings was the "most important day of his life." He became a flight instructor in Meridian, MS, before being sent to Lemoore, CA, to fly the newly added A7E. From Meridian, Steve was assigned to VA27 on the carrier Ranger, which was supposed to be in the yard for two years. However, in order to deploy early, Steve transferred to VA22, the Fighting Redcocks, where he was quickly assigned to the Coral Sea from 1969-1971. Aboard the Coral Sea, he successfully flew his missions, ultimately receiving several medals, most notably including the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After Steve's time in the Navy, he attended the DA20 Falcon School to receive a type rating to fly the Falcon Jet for Federal Express. After training and while waiting for his call for official employment by Fed Ex, he moved to Houston where he managed a seismic ship for Western Geophysical. In April of 1973, the same month and year his daughter was born, Steve was called to train in the DA20 at Fed Ex in Little Rock, AR. He served Fed Ex for 30 years in many capacities - flight manager; assistant chief pilot of the Falcon; captain of the 727 and DC10; and author of the crew member's handbook's Training and Compensation chapters.

Steve and Lisa raised their family in Germantown, TN, where they were members of Ridgeway Country Club for over 40 years. Steve was an avid golfer and could be found on the greens with his friends when not flying. Steve was also an amateur architect who successfully drafted the beautiful lake house where he and Lisa retired, and where the family hosted epic Campbell Family Pig Roasts for 200 plus of their closest friends. A man of action, it’s hard to put into one obituary his many accomplishments, but his family is proud of all he did in his life. He could fix a car, build anything with his hands and draw and paint realistic pieces of art. Give him a challenge, and he would attack it and succeed.

Steve is preceded in death by his parents William Roland Campbell and Frances Stovall Campbell, his brothers William Roland Campbell, Jr. and Donald Broughton Campbell, and his sister Virginia Campbell Hodgen. He is survived by his wife of 59 years Lisa Cleveland Campbell, their two children Bob (Sarah) Campbell and Jennifer (Brian) Evans, and his grandchildren Addie, Cole, Kemper and Campbell. He also leaves behind his brothers Bruce and Bob Campbell.