Montie Dale Campbell

Montie Dale Campbell, 86, passed away on April 17, 2025, in Lakeland, Florida following a lengthy illness.

He was the fourth of five children born to Albert and Lucille Avis Sanders Campbell in Bakersfield, California on September 22, 1938.

Montie graduated from Paragould High School, Paragould, Arkansas in the class of 1955 and served in the US Army Reserves.

On August 17, 1964, he married Melba Ann Bacon at Griffin Memorial Methodist Church, Paragould. The couple moved to Festus, Missouri where Montie worked in a men's clothing store and Melba taught school nearby. They relocated to Lakeland, Florida in 1972 where they have lived for the past 53 years.

Montie worked for a variety of companies specializing in computer technology and programming and retired from Asgrow Seed Company, Plant City, Florida. During his career Montie is credited with designing and writing the program for Watson Clinic's billing.

He was a quiet man, a man of few words but many interests that ranged from golf to southern gospel music. He was an avid movie buff, especially the black and white classics. "They just don't make them like that anymore" he would always say.

Montie enjoyed escaping the Florida heat with month long stays in the mountains of North Carolina. Those days generally involved daily morning Appalachian Trail hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Those hikes always ended with lunch at a favorite restaurant. He would consider the day a perfect one if he had a chance to catch some bluegrass music played by the locals on the porch of the general store.

Montie's road trips included exploration of many sites in his home state of Arkansas, as well Thanksgivings in Charleston, South Carolina, Ashville, New Orleans and one very eventful train trip across the northern United States. Another memorable excursion was his 2011 visit to the Master's Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

Montie will be fondly remembered by his adoring nieces for his quirky humor, his endless patience on summer beach vacations to Sanibel Island, sharing gospel music concerts and his endless kindness over the years. His signature floppy "Montie hat" will be a cherished family heirloom for years to come.

"What we have once enjoyed

we can never lose.

All that we love deeply becomes

a part of us"

Helen Keller

Montie Dale Campbell was predeceased by his parents; three brothers, Jack, Duane and Larry Campbell, all of Paragould, Arkansas; one sister, Rheba Campbell Purdy, of Napa, California.

He leaves his wife, Melba and a number of nieces and nephews as well as a host of friends.

Interment will be in Linwood Cemetery, Paragould, Arkansas at a later date.