pClayton/Croghan~ Robert J. “Pickle” Campany, 97, of William St., died Sunday morning, March 6, 2016 at his daughter’s home in Clayton NY./ppHe was born on January 22, 1919, the son of Melvin F. and Adah E. Monnat Campany, at his grandparents home on Shady Avenue in Croghan. Pickle grew up on the family farm along the Beaver River on the High Falls Road. He attended early grades in a one room schoolhouse, and then later at Fr. Leo Memorial School in Croghan. After 10th grade, he left school to help operate the family dairy farm, drive horses for logging, and cut ice on the Beaver River. He later obtained his equivalency diploma from Watertown High School. Pickle’s early employment included the Croghan Meat Market, Yancey’s Sugar Bush in Belfort, and various logging jobs. Pickle had a fondness for the family’s work horses, Dan and Cub./ppOn April 17, 1941 Pickle enlisted in the US Army. After training in Fort Eustis, VA and Fort Sheridan, IL, he sailed to Ireland to become part of the 103rd Anti- Aircraft Artillery Unit attached to the First Infantry Division referred to as the “Big Red One.” As part of the First Division he served as a platoon sergeant in the North African Allied Invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky), the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach Normandy (Operation Overlord), and the Battle of the Bulge in Northern France, Belgium, and Germany. While preparing to cross the Rhine River in 1945, he learned his years of overseas service had earned him a trip home. Sergeant Campany was honorably discharged on June 13, 1945. Despite his extended role in the European Theatre, other than a bout with malaria in North Africa, he was one of the fortunate to return alive and uninjured. For his service he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic action in Germany, as well as the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal. /ppUpon his return to Lewis County, Pickle worked at various jobs in the area, and on November 8, 1949, he married Helen Claire Hoch in St. Stephen’s Church in Croghan with Rev Amadeus Burke OFM officiating. Together they raised their family, first on Lewis Street in Beaver Falls, and then at a home Pickle constructed in 1958 on William Street in Croghan. His wife Helen died at the age of 65 on August 16, 1986 after a long illness. While maintaining the Croghan home, after 2007 Pickle spent most of his time close to his family in Clayton./ppFor 39 years Pickle was employed by Beaverite Products, Inc. working on construction projects at the company’s three facilities in Beaver Falls, Croghan and Glenfield, retiring as maintenance supervisor in 1984. His construction talent was often integral to community volunteer construction projects such as the Beaver Falls Medical Center, St. Stephen’s Church, and the Croghan American Legion./ppHe was a communicant at St. Stephen’s Church in Croghan, a charter member of the Beaver River Post 1663 American Legion, and a member of the Greggs Lake Hunting Club. His love of the outdoors and the woods took him hunting with his friends for 60 years to Greggs Lake, and Moshier, Duck and Pepperbox Ponds, as well as to a family camp he constructed in the 1970’s (Texas Road) in an area known as Beartown. In early years he played shortstop for the Belfort Baseball Team, and closely followed the New York Yankees for his entire life. He enjoyed family travel, especially his return to Normandy at the age of 80. /ppSurviving are his three children and their spouses, Marcia Campany, Clayton, Julie and Michael Goodison, Cicero, and Robert J. “Rob” and Christine Campany, Clayton; two grandchildren, Michael R. Campany and Lonnie A. Campany; a brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Martha Jane Campany, Croghan; a brother-in-law, Eugene Nortz, Croghan; and many nieces and nephews./ppHe was predeceased by his parents; his wife; an infant son, Michael; a brother and sister-in-law, James and Martha Campany; four sisters and two brothers-in-law, Bernadette (Bernard) Boliver, Ellen (Thomas) Nortz, Patricia Nortz, and Theresa Campany./ppFuneral services will be held on Friday, March 11, 2016, beginning with a 9:30 a.m. Prayer Service at Scanlon Funeral Home, Croghan, followed by a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial from St. Stephen’s Church, Croghan, with the Rev. Daniel L. Chapin officiating. Burial with Military Honors will be at St. Stephen’s Cemetery./ppCalling hours will be on Thursday, March 10th, from 4-7 PM at the Scanlon Funeral Home 9791 Main Street Croghan./ppMemorial donations may be made to: St. Stephen’s Church Restoration Fund, or the Beaver River Memorial Post 1663 American Legion Honor Guard./ppTo view online obituary or leave a message of sympathy, please visit www.scanlonfuneral.com/p
↧