Dr. Karen Campbell

Dr. Karen Boniface Campbell, 76, of Union Mills, North Carolina, died peacefully in her home on November 15, 2019, with her devoted husband of 51 years, Dr. Donald L. Campbell by her side.  Karen spent her last days in the beautiful mountain home that she built with Don, awash in the love of family and friends both near and far.

Born February 21, 1943 in Washington, D.C. to parents Irvin E. Boniface and Bulah Orcutt Boniface, she moved with her family to Marlow Heights, Maryland when she was thirteen.  There she attended Suitland High School, graduating in 1960.  Karen spent all the summers of her childhood with her grandmother, Erma Orcutt, on Cobb Island, Maryland. 

Determined from a young age to be a veterinarian, she did her undergraduate work at the University of Maryland and entered the University of Georgia’s School of Veterinary Medicine as one of only three women in the class of 1968.  There she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and met her husband Don, a fellow classmate.  Karen and Don married in June, 1968, just after graduation and had four children together.

As a veterinarian, Karen worked in a number of roles, including relief work in small animal practices, practicing in her own small clinic, managing Don’s large animal practice and a brief stint at the Food and Drug Administration.  However, her inclination to care for, help and protect animals in her veterinary career was soon paralleled in her growing role as an advocate for children.  Karen often described her passion for education and child advocacy as her “avocation” in the MD state PTA, and culminated in two six-year terms on the Howard County Board of Education.  In all these positions, she was instrumental in forming and directing policies initiatives in the highly respected school district and across the state, including increased protection within the school system for victims of child abuse.

Karen, nick-named “Sunshine” in vet school, was an avid reader, loved travelling with her husband, crossword puzzles, dancing, singing Elvis songs, tracing family genealogy and history, leisurely sunsets with a glass of wine on the end of the pier, and admiring the vivid sunset colors and cloud formations over the mountains at home.  Among the many trips they took together was a seven-week cross country trip with their four teenagers, much complained about at the time but, in retrospect, greatly appreciated by all.  Other adventures included an epic, three-month journey to Alaska by car and ferry, a trip to Nova Scotia, and a birthday getaway to the Hawaiian Islands.  She was the keeper of family history, our storyteller, documenting in prose and photographs the exceptional moments and the ever-day joys.

Karen is survived by her husband, Donald Campbell; her children, Jennifer Campbell Alotto (Joseph Alotto), Dr. Heather A. Campbell-Speltz (Darrell Speltz), Thor S. Campbell (Martha Campbell), Erin Lee Moore (Alan Moore); twelve grandchildren, Austin Cousins, Ellen Campbell, Talon Campbell, Aurora Speltz, Carmen Alotto, Dorothy Campbell, Mariela Speltz, Izabella Williams, Orion Campbell, Sofia Alotto, Casandra Speltz and Adriana Speltz; sister, Aileen Boniface Summerlin; and brother, Lynn Boniface. 

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Edward Boniface and Don Boniface; and her grandson, Connery Speltz.

The family plans to celebrate Karen’s life at her Cobb Island summer home sometime in the late spring or summer of 2020.  The date and time will be announced once it has been confirmed.   

At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, please leave a thought and/or memory by clicking on tribute wall.  

We know that things are a bit crazy right now and hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy --- when things calm down, we hope that you can join us to pay tribute to Karen!

Celebrating the wonderful life of our “Sunshine”:
Dr. Karen Boniface Campbell
February 21, 1943 - November 15, 2019

Saturday, June 27th, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at 16776 Potomac River Drive, Cobb Island, Maryland 20625.

Please join us to share favorite memories and stories, to laugh and cry as we remember an amazing woman that is dearly missed.

We hope you can bring or send us photos to add to the photo-board and write or send us some of your stories to include in our memory book.