Tom McCampbell

Tom McCampbell passed away peacefully at his home in Chico on July 3, 2024, surrounded by his family. He lived a long and happy life.  He was 92 years old.   He is survived by his eight children:   Dan McCampbell; Patty Lucio (Frank); Mary O'Hara (Dennis); Margaret Stoner (David); Maureen Stein (Randy); Jane Johnson (Steve); Elizabeth McCampbell; and Michele McCampbell (Scott). He is also survived by 11 grandchildren:  Thomas and Patrick McCampbell (Hannah), Lizzy Lucio, Alexander Stoner, Matthew and Jackson Stein, Lindsay and Nicholas Stroud, and Zoe and Sam Petersen.  In addition, he is survived by two great-grandchildren: Rory and Connor McCampbell.  He is preceded in death by his wife Leola.

Tom was a native Chicoan and third-generation Californian, born on January 22, 1932, in the old Enloe Hospital.  He graduated from Notre Dame School, Chico High School, Chico State College, and Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California. He practiced law in Chico for 50 years specializing in Bankruptcy Law.  He served as Deputy District Attorney of Butte County and was chairman of the Butte County Bar Association Legal Aid Committee for ten years.  He was a member of the California State Bar and was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, all Federal Courts, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He served as an attorney for nine bankruptcy court trustees and was a court-appointed trustee himself in the Eastern Federal District of California from Sacramento to the Oregon state line.  Prior to his retirement in 2006, he was a member of the Butte County Bar Association, the Sacramento County Bar Association Bankruptcy Section, and the Sacramento Valley Bankruptcy Forum.  He also served as Attorney for residence matters at Chico State College and was a life member of the Chico State Alumni Association and a former member of the Chico State Foundation Board of Governors.

Over his fifty-year career, Tom was active in various civic and political organizations: Chico Host Lions Club, Chico Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army, and the Mt. Lassen Area Council Boy Scouts of America.  He was a proud Eagle Scout.  He served for three years as the Chairman of the Notre Dame School Board. In 1972, he acted as chairman of the Butte County Committee to Re-Elect President Nixon and was a member of the Friends of Reagan Committee.  In 1974, then Governor Ronald Reagan appointed Tom to the State of California Advisory Health Council, on which he served ten years, the last three of which as chairman.  He also served on the State of California and Butte County Republican Central Committee. He was a past Grand Knight of Chico Council 1137, Knights of Columbus, and a member of the Fourth Degree General Assembly. 

In 1957, he married Leola Jeffries. They were married for 63 years and raised eight children in Chico. Throughout his life, he enjoyed time at the cabin in Lake Almanor with his wife, Leola, children, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on August 7, 2024, at 10 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Chico. The interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a Mass be said for Tom at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.