August 13, 1932 – November 23, 2023
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Joseph Thomas Camp Jr. of Canton Georgia on November 23, 2023 after complications following surgery. He was 91 years young and still very much full of life.
Tom was born August 13, 1932 to J. T. Camp Sr. and Jewel R. Stewart in Smyrna Georgia in the depths of the Great Depression. Life was pretty hard in his youth. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary Ellen and brother James McNew.
He graduated from Smyrna High School in 1949. The Korean War broke out when he was just about to turn 18. Tom showed his intelligence by joining the Navy as he told us he knew the North Koreans didn't have a Navy and being in the army was a lot more dangerous. He spent much of his Navy time in Japan and San Diego.
After leaving the Navy he returned to the Southern Freight Tariff Bureau where he worked for over 41 years and led their transition from pencil and paper into the computer age in the 1960s. Tom learned to program on punch tape and punch cards when computers were the size of rooms and had less capacity than a cell phone. Listening to him talk about COBOL and hexadecimal calculations was mysterious for the kids.
He married in 1956 to Carlette White and had 2 children. They divorced in 1981.
Tom soon met Pam Bush. They married in 1985 and remained happily married until his passing. Pam was a perfect partner for him as her placid nature kept him on an even keel. His golden years truly were due to her.
Tom loved puns, truly bad jokes and playing pranks at work. He was joking at the hospital right to the end. He liked traveling but really preferred to sleep in his own bed. He was fascinated by the minutia of other people. He almost always had a smile on his face and a desire to talk to anyone and everyone. He loved his dogs as much as he grumbled about how much work they were. He often snuck them a treat under the table. He loved bird watching. He will be missed.
He is survived by his wife, Pam, son David (Jean) Camp, daughter Melissa Camp (Steve Queen), granddaughter Ashlyn (Dale) Rhude, Great Granddaughters Presley Weiss and Gracelynn Rhude, nieces Debbie Eubanks and Bonnie (Larry) Leach and nephew Tommy (Patty) Arute and several great nieces and great nephews and great great nieces and nephews.
A memorial visitation for Joseph will be held Thursday, December 7, 2023 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Woodstock Funeral Home, 8855 Main Street, Woodstock, GA 30188. A celebration of life will occur Thursday, December 7, 2023 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM immediately following the visitation.
A committal service will occur at Georgia National Cemetery, 1080 Scott Hudgens Drive, Canton, GA 30114 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM on Thursday, December 7, 2023.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodstockfuneralhome.com for the Camp family.
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