Funeral services for John Louis Campbell, 61, of Paducah will take place Thursday, August 23, at 2 p.m. at Milner & Orr Funeral Home on Blandville Rd. in Paducah. Rev. Stan Reid of Lone Oak First Baptist Church will officiate. Burial will follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Paducah.

Mr. Campbell passed away at 4:52 a.m. Saturday morning at Western Baptist Hospital.

He was born on September 22, 1950, in Louisville. He was of the Catholic faith and a 1968 graduate of St. Mary High School. He attended the University of Kentucky before graduating with a degree in Finance from Murray State University in 1973.

Mr. Campbell was an esteemed member of the Paducah business community, whose sage advice was often sought by business associates and friends alike. He formerly operated Campbell’s Sporting Goods with his father, and most recently Midstates Brokerage, Inc., MDC Insurance, Inc. and Market@315 on Broadway.

He was a staunch advocate for downtown Paducah, serving as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Paducah Renaissance Alliance and the Vice-Chairman of the non-profit Friends of Main Street, Inc. from 2010 until his passing.

Mr. Campbell oversaw and organized numerous downtown projects, including the remodeling and revitalization of the 300 block of Broadway. He was honored as a Duke of Paducah in 2012.

Mr. Campbell was actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America for much of his life, earning Scouting’s highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout, at age 14. He went on to co-found Troop 225, Paducah’s first predominantly African-American Boy Scout troop in 1974. Later, he served Troop 200 of Lone Oak in several leadership roles, most notably as Troop Committee Chairman. He attended the 1964 National Boy Scout Jamboree and twice traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch, as a scout and then as a leader in 2000, excursions that were among his favorite scouting memories.

He also served two years as the President of the Lone Oak High School Soccer Booster Club, overseeing the development of the school’s first and only soccer-specific field and facilities.

Mr. Campbell was an avid golfer, musician and outdoorsman, in addition to being an accomplished carpenter, builder and electrician. Above all else, though, he enjoyed and valued the time spent with friends and family, especially his 10 grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Sallee S. Campbell, of Paducah; three sons, John Louis “Jay” Campbell, Jr. and wife, Michelle, and Heston Campbell and wife Kristy, of Paducah, and Hunter Campbell and fiancée Hannah Senn, of Louisville; grandchildren, Nicholas Cox, Catherine Campbell, Caitlin Campbell, Katelynn Harris, John Louis “Jack” Campbell III, Lindsay Campbell, Haley Harris, Emma Campbell, Aubrey Campbell and Cullen Campbell; father-in-law Russell M. Chittenden, of Paducah.

Mr. Campbell was preceded in death by his parents, Frances H. and Ted A. Campbell, of Paducah, and his mother-in-law, Allison E. Chittenden, of Paducah.

Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 22, 2012, at Milner & Orr Funeral Home in Paducah.

His family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to Boy Scout Troop 200, c/o Lone Oak United Methodist Church, 3835 Old US Highway 45 South, Paducah, KY 42003. Contributions may also be made to the Paducah Day Nursery, 2425 South 25th Street, Paducah, KY 42003.

You may light a candle of remembrance and leave a message of sympathy at www.milnerandorr.com