Brian Campbell, age 68, of Jamestown passed on Friday, December 2nd, 2016 of heart failure. Son of Elmer Campbell and Fannie Catalini Campbell, Brian was a longtime resident of Aquidneck Island. Throughout his life, he carried with him the badge of a “fifth-warder,” having grown up in the fifth ward of Newport in his grandmother’s house with his mother and his brother, Michael. Two decades ago, in preparation for their retirement years, Brian and his wife, Diane Hurley, moved to Conanicut Island to continue to shape their life together.
Best known for events involving a lot of calories or horsepower, Brian was a lover of group gatherings and projects with his friends. He spent much of his career in food service, culminating as the manager of food and beverage at Newport Grand. Prior to that, Brian ran a photo store and managed a nightclub on Bellevue Avenue with his close friends. Brian took his passion for food into his retirement – choreographing large cookouts for his ever-growing community of friends in Jamestown. Brian made a life for himself based on strong relationships and freely offered assistance to anyone in need. No one went hungry around Brian.
Brian was an iconic figure, clad in a bucket hat, sunglasses and mustache. Often found behind the wheel of a truck or at the helm of a boat, he loved the back roads of Rhode Island and was always up for a harbor tour. Brian always stayed true to his values of consistency, directness, and connection, and he lived life as he thought it should be lived. He encouraged others around him to do the same, even if it differed from his way. He will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by his friends, family, and community.
Brian is survived by his wife Diane Hurley, his stepdaughter Kimberly Birmingham and her two children of New Canaan, Connecticut and his stepson Nash Hurley and his two children of San Francisco, California.
Visiting hours will be held at O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, 465 Spring St, Newport on Friday, December 9th from 4-7pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mark Church, 60 Narragansett Avenue, Jamestown at 10am on Saturday December 10th. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made in his memory to Take-A-Kid Fishing Day, c/o R.I. Saltwater Anglers Foundation, P.O. Box 1465, Coventry, RI 02816.
