Thomas A. Campana's Obituary
Thomas A. Campana, age 67, of North Ridgeville, formerly of Lorain, passed away unexpectedly on October 31, 2014.
Tom graduated from Admiral King High School in 1965 and attended John Carroll University graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Management. He continued his education eventually becoming a Certified Public Accountant. He started his career as an accountant at both US Steel and PC Campana as well as being employed as a treasury agent with the IRS. He eventually ventured out on his own and in 1970 started his own accounting firm on his kitchen table. The name has changed over the years from Thomas A. Campana and Co. to its present, Campana, Campana and Company Inc. when he took on his daughters Gina and Nikkii as his partners in 1997. Along the way he and his family opened Campi’s Italian Restaurant, Sylvester’s Night Club, Vonoto’s Night Club, and Shorty’s Sports Bar in Sheffield Lake, Lorain, Vermilion and Avon Lake.
As a young man Tom was an avid athlete playing football, softball and bowling as well as being a passionate fisherman. Each year he and a half dozen friends ventured deep into Canada to catch Muskie. Tom’s love of classic muscle cars had him driving a 1955 T-Bird, 1962 Impala, a 1967 GTO, and eventually a 1957 T-Bird replicar built through his company Forever Young Replicars. Tom traveled all over the country participating in bowling tournaments with his best friends. The highlight of his bowling career was the 300 he threw at Saxon Club as a sub on February 8, 1974. He was an avid Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians fan coming in on Monday mornings critiquing the team with his daughter. In later years he enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren and having double date nights with his siblings. He and his wife Debbie enjoyed vacations to Mackinac Island’s Somewhere in Time weekend and watching their favorite television shows in his man cave with his two little dogs on his lap.
Tom, a devout Catholic, was a life-long parishioner of St. Pete’s Catholic Church in Lorain, Ohio. He joined St. Clarence Catholic Church in North Olmsted when he and his wife Debbie recently moved to North Ridgeville. He was very involved in many organizations throughout his life including various bowling organizations, Italian American Veterans Club, board member of El Centro, various accounting organizations, and the Firelands Chapter of CPA’s, a group he still enjoyed meeting for dinner every month.
Tom was a large presence standing 6’5” but he was known as the Gentle Giant. He was the nicest man you would have ever met. He was quick to compliment you or the first person to tell you a funny story. While his death comes many years too early, we are blessed knowing he died unexpectedly but peacefully having just finished a wonderful Italian dinner with his wife and her daughter and son-in-law. He would have wanted it that way.
Tom was a self made man yet he would always point out the people that helped him along the way. He was not only successful on his own, but his thousands of clients would tell you that he was the reason for their success as well. He taught his daughters well and was very proud to tell people of their family business that he hoped would carry on for generations. He has the pleasure of seeing his grandchildren every day as they have been coming to his office after school and during the summers for 17 years. He had a playroom built for them full of toys and a drawer full of snacks in his desk. Tom never had to use it to bribe them for kisses though.
Tom is survived by his loving wife, Debra (nee Marian); parents, Baldo and Mary (nee Cambria) Campana, of Lorain; daughters, Gina (Jeff Wikel) Campana and Nikki Campana; and son, Thomas B. Campana, all of Lorain; step-children, Miranda, Serena and Ronald Johnson, all of North Ridgeville; his siblings, Jim (MaryAnn), Joe (Jaye), Carol Campana, Cindy (Paul)Elkins, all of Lorain; brother-in-law, Dominic (Sharon) Marian; sister-in-lawm Linda Blacksmith; his former spouse, Elaine (nee Ortenzi), of Lorain; 21 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Martha (nee Valentine)Marian, father-in-law Dominic Marian and his brother-in-law, Keith Marian.
The Campana Family will receive friends on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. and 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Dovin and Reber Jones Funeral & Cremation Center, 1110 Cooper Foster Park Road, Amherst where closing prayers will be held on Thursday, November 6th. at 10:15 a.m. followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of St. Peter, 3655 Oberlin Ave., Lorain. Rev. Fr. Craig Hovanec, Pastor, will officiate. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Lorain. A luncheon will follow the interment services at the Italian American Veterans Club, Oberlin Ave., Lorain.
Due to his great love of his pets and his family’s commitment to the fight against cancer, we ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Muttley Crue or the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dovinreberjones.com
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