Elaine Campbell (October 2, 1942 – August 20, 2020) died peacefully after a brief struggle with cancer, surrounded by her family. Elaine was 78 years old.
Elaine is predeceased by her husband Thomas and parents, Joseph and Evelyn Meyer. She is survived by her sons Brian (Dana Symons), David (Katrina), sister Virginia McConnel (John), and granddaughter Vera Symons-Campbell, in addition to nephews and in-laws.
Elaine grew up in West Irondequoit and received a Bachelor in Science from Uppsala University in chemistry. Elaine was a pioneer in her field, a woman in science ahead of her time. She was one of the few women working for Eastman Kodak where she met her husband Thomas. She left work to raise her children but remained active as a translator and later returned to Eastman Kodak in their patent division. A leading patent searcher, she conducted training in Nigeria and Mozambique on behalf of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Elaine loved the world and the people in it. She was an energetic bridge player and volunteered for many years for the WXXI auction. She and Tom were travelers and before his death they made trips to the Caribbean, Europe, and Alaska where they would make friends from places as far away as Australia, China, and Ukraine. Elaine continued this until the pandemic, and went on to visit most of South America, East Asia, and Antarctica. She frequently visited her sons Brian, during his tours as a Foreign Service Officer in Mexico, Ukraine, and Argentina, and David who resides in New York City. She was a loving grandmother to Vera and will be missed.
Funeral Service Monday October 11, 1PM at Asbury United Methodist Church 1050 East Ave, Rochester
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5 responses to “Campbell, Elaine M”
Elaine’s passing has saddened me. In addition to a consummate bridge player, she was a dedicated, loyal friend who was always kind, upbeat, and happy. In her soft-spoken and gentle manner, she had a keen sense of humor, loved dogs, especially my Golden, and had many cute stories to tell. Extremely proud of her two sons, she often spoke of their accomplishments. She had unparalleled love for them and her granddaughter. My deepest sympathy to her family.
My deepest condolences to the family. I was saddened to hear of Elaine’s passing. She was a pleasure to play bridge with and had a very unique sense of humor that made everyone smile. RIP.
Dear Brian and David
I was so very saddened to see your Mom had passed away, I am a hygienist at Lucia Family Dentistry and have taken care of your Mom for years, I would a always schedule the last appt of the morning so we could have extra time to talk about her latest adventure. Elaine was such a special warm and amazing woman I will really miss seeing her. When speaking of both of you and your spouses and especially her beloved granddaughter her eyes just lit up with so much pride. Heaven has certainly gained an angel (a world traveled angel) for sure. May the memories you have comfort you during this difficult time, I will always think of your Mom with with a smile on my face and hopefully some travel plans to some new location. My deepest sympathies to your families
On behalf of all current and former members of the ROCHESTER ORATORIO SOCIETY, we send our condolences to Elaine’s family and friends. Elaine sang tenor with ROS for a short period (2007-2010) and we enjoyed hearing her stories of her many world travels. May Elaine rest in peace.
My condolences to the family. I worked with Elaine many years in the patent department at Eastman Kodak Company. I relied on her greatly to accomplish excellent and detailed patent literature searches, finding the closest prior art if we were trying to invalidate patents of third parties. Besides valuing her chemical and analytical expertise, we had a number of enjoyable social interactions both inside and outside Kodak, and we could laugh talk about traveling and the events of the world. She was a keen learner and enjoyed people immensely as her hundreds of friendships and acquaintances testify. I was able to provide some comfort when her wonderful husband passed away and she did likewise when my first wife passed away after 15 years of dementia. Elaine understood what being a loving caregiver meant. I had contacted her a few times after the beginning of the pandemic but failed to see her during that time. I was looking forward to renewing the contact.