Campbell Cary ’46 died on April 13, 2023, in Mount Desert, Maine.
(The following was provided by the Mount Desert Islander on April 19, 2023)
Campbell Cary ’46
Campbell Cary passed away peacefully at home on Mount Desert Island on April 13, 2023. Campbell (“Cam”) was born to Charles and Frances (Campbell) Cary on May 10, 1925, in Birmingham, Ala. He married Ruth Stafford Whittle in Martinsville, Va., in 1950.
Cam lived in various locations as a child as his father relocated while working with the DuPont Co. He graduated from Friends School in Wilmington, Del., and Bowdoin College in 1948 as a member of the Class of 1946, having taken time out for service in the Navy. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, active in the Bowdoin Club in Philadelphia and Delaware in the 1960s, served on the Bowdoin Alumni Council, including the Executive Committee, and served as class agent from 1986 until his passing. After moving to Brunswick in 1985, Cam worked briefly in the alumni development office at Bowdoin. In 2005, he received the Polar Bear Award in recognition of personal contributions and outstanding dedication to Bowdoin.
He was employed by the DuPont Co. for thirty-seven years, first in Martinsville, Va., as a student operator, foreman and supervisor in nylon manufacturing. From 1954 until he retired in 1985, Cam held marketing positions in the textile fibers department in Wilmington, Del.
Cam and Ruth moved to Mount Desert Island in 1998, where they built a home in 2001. This brought them closer to Pond Island, their beloved summer retreat. He made his last trip to Pond Island in 2022 with the help of many family and friends, but he was still anticipating his next visit to the island in his final days.
An active community member, Cam served as deacon and trustee of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington. When they moved to Brunswick, both he and Ruth became founding members of the Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church in Topsham. He served on the board of directors of the Bath YMCA, the Legislative Issues Committee of the Maine Council of Churches and the board of directors of the Schooner Bowdoin Association. On Mount Desert Island, Cam served on the board of Downeast Horizons, drove weekly for Island Connections and worked with the MDI Historical Society in preserving architectural drawings of the so-called “summer cottages“ on the island. He and Ruth were active members of the Mount Desert community, enjoyed hiking with Footloose Friends and taking courses through the Acadia Senior College. Cam enjoyed golf, swimming and cross-country skiing, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of family genealogy, which he shared liberally with all.
As a father, Cam is fondly remembered by his daughters for waking early on Saturdays to cook them breakfast as they headed off for a weekend of whitewater canoeing. In retirement, he took on the preparation of breakfast, and his blueberry pancakes on Pond Island were a morning highlight.
Campbell was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth (Whittle) Cary, his sister, Mary (James) Rea, and brother George, (Miriam) Cary II. He is survived by his daughter Mary Cary (Greg Frosberg), son Whittle Cary, daughter Sarah (Keith) Robinson, grandchildren Brian (Kristen) Cary, Amanda (Alex) Estep, Stafford Cary, Cary Robinson, Keith Robinson, and three great-grandchildren.