Obituary for Gary A. Camp
Gary Andrew Camp, 74, of Ludlow, MA went to be with the Lord early Thursday morning, January 12, 2023. Born in Bronx, New York, Gary is the oldest of 2 children born to Dorothy (Rhind) Camp and Fred Camp. Gary was raised in the Bronx and then in Long Island in his early years, and spent his teen years in Springfield, Massachusetts. In Springfield he attended Technical High School where he played baseball. In the summers he worked as a lifeguard and when he needed to get to the beach from Springfield he would hitch hike from Springfield to either Hampton Beach, NH or Cape Cod, depending which way the driver was going. He always loved the game of golf; he would walk and carry his clubs for miles to get to the course, he caddied, and played competitively as well. Through all those early and teen years he, his parents, and sister, Deborah (Debby), enjoyed spending summers boating in Lake George. Gary loved the water, the sun, and boats. Gary entered service in the U.S. Army in May 1968 and served in Vietnam as a helicopter door gunner. He was awarded various awards and medals from the Army and the Air Force including the Combat Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge, Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Bronze Star. His last day of active service was December 26, 1969. Soon after returning home, he worked with his father, Fred, at the Business Education Institute in West Springfield, which is where he began his successful career in the education industry. It was during this time he met his wife, Mary (Palmeira) Camp. Gary and Mary first met on a “blind date” that was arranged by their mutual friends in 1978. They married on February 10, 1979 and were married over 43 years. After Business Education Institute, Gary was very driven in his career and took a lot of pride in leading and empowering others to aspire to excellence. He always enjoyed reading books on faith in God and on leadership, and he often shared them with his sales teams and later executive teams throughout his career. His sales and marketing experience took him and his family to new opportunities in Florida and then to Virginia before taking his family back to the Springfield, MA area to be closer to family and old friends. This is when Gary was hired as President and CEO of the Branford Hall Career Institute out of Branford, CT. Gary was an inspiring leader and visionary. When he took over, he and his team grew the company from 4 schools to over 30 schools in 9 states by developing new schools and acquiring others, renaming it to Premier Education Group (PEG). Gary retired from PEG in 2015. Gary always loved being in the sun, whether on the beach in Cape Cod or Long Island, on a boat in Lake George, or on the golf course. Later in life he enjoyed feeling the sun looking over the Pioneer Valley or into Buzzards Bay from his homes. In these quiet times he often put a lot of thought into giving. Pioneer Valley Christian Academy was often where he felt the most led to give, where his children attended and some of his grandchildren currently attend. He always recognized the value of education, but more important than anything, a Christian education. With all his achievements in business and philanthropy, nothing made him more proud than seeing his kids get married and grow their own families. He loved spending time with and being silly with his grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by his beloved and dedicated wife, Mary. He will be remembered fondly by his sister, Debby, who was a great companion always and especially in his later years. He will be greatly missed by his children and their spouses: Carmen Sanderson and her husband Edward, Adam Camp and his wife Johanna, Melissa Stimpson and her husband Marc, Bethany Allum and her husband David; his 9 grandchildren: Jake Curry and his companion Nicole, Sage and Sebastion Stimpson, Ethan and Oliver Camp, Dorothy and Leo Allum, Riley and Nathan Sanderson; and two great grandchildren: Noah and Aurora Curry. Visitation and burial with Military Honors are held privately by Gary’s family and a memorial service celebrating Gary’s life will be held on Friday, January 20th, 2023 at 12:00pm at the Faith Community Chapel located at 485 East Street in Ludlow. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Gary’s name to: Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, 965 Plumtree Road, Springfield, Ma. 01119 or online @ pvcama.org/give/.
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Previous Events
Service
Friday
20
Jan
12:00 PM
Faith Community Chapel
485 East Street
Ludlow, MA 01056
Memorial Contribution
Pioneer Valley Christian Academy
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