Michael Wayne Campbell

Michael Wayne Campbell Sr. – devoted husband, proud father, adoring grandfather – died Sunday, September 7, 2025, at his home in Altoona, Iowa. He was 76.

Mike, as most knew him, was born March 19, 1949, in Galesburg, Illinois, to Lindy Morris Campbell and Dorothy Mae (Smith) Campbell and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1967. He married his high school sweetheart, had two children, and moved to Kewanee, Illinois, and then West Burlington, Iowa. The marriage didn’t last, but the Iowa residency did; he spent the rest of his life in cities and towns around the state including West Burlington, Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, Ames, Waterloo, Marshalltown, Pleasant Hill, and finally Altoona.

After a stint as salesman at Bowman’s Shoes in Galesburg and Kewanee, Mike embarked on an arduous professional chapter as a construction worker for Worley’s Asphalt & Paving in Burlington in the 1970s and 80s. He later followed his interest in worker’s rights and political activism to AFSCME Council 61 in Des Moines, where he served in positions of progressively rising responsibility until he attained the post of Associate Director.

At AFSCME, Mike became more active in the Democratic Party in Iowa and had the honor of serving as an Iowa delegate at the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City, where he supported nominee Bill Clinton and rubbed elbows with at least one other future president, then Sen. Joe Biden.

Also, during his AFSCME tenure, he met the love of his life, Victoria (Reed) Campbell, and moved to Marshalltown to be with her; they married in 1996. Among the many lifelong benefits of this union for Mike was becoming a stepfather to two young daughters.

Mike eventually began a stint as a later-in-life scholar, earning a bachelor’s degree from William Penn University in 2006 and a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University in 2007. He took his union expertise to the Polk County (Iowa) government as Labor Relations Manager, retiring in 2019 with a send-off at Sec Taylor Stadium, home of the Iowa Cubs minor league baseball team.

An I-Cubs season ticketholder for several years, Mike’s primary baseball fandom lay 340 miles to the east at Wrigley Field in Chicago, where the major league Cubs captivated his attention and annually stomped on his heart until finally winning a championship in 2016. They promptly resumed antagonizing him with sub-championship seasons – but there’s always next year.

Beyond union organizing, politics, and baseball was the true calling of Mike’s life as a family man and, eventually, grandfather to a bevy of children whose affection for him was topped only by his love for and dedication to them.

Mike is survived by his wife, Victoria; two children, Michael Campbell Jr. (Erin) of Burlington and Kristina Campbell (Stacy Cleek) of Takoma Park, Maryland; two stepdaughters, Stacey Spencer and Darcey Veasman (Josh), both of Pleasant Hill; and the aforementioned grandchildren. They are Tara Bryant (Dan) of Wapello, Iowa; Tyler Campbell of Altoona; Talan Kalwishky of Des Moines; Paulina Aguilera, Lucas Hall, and Lauren Johnson, all of Burlington; and Brielle Williams, Marcel Williams Jr., Saylor Spencer, Aspen Keough, Carter Veasman, and Payten Veasman, all of Pleasant Hill; as well as great-grandchildren Caedan Bryant and Aurora Bryant of Wapello. He is also survived by four sisters: Linda Arvanis of East Moline, Illinois, Terrie Saline (Harold) of Galesburg, Cathy Marsh (Lindel) of Moberly, Missouri, and Wendy Hess (David) of Knoxville, Illinois; as well as two sisters-in-law, Bonnie Campbell of Galesburg and Patty Campbell of Knoxville.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Danny Campbell and Steve Campbell, and a brother-in-law, Harry Arvanis. His remains were cremated.

A celebration of the life of Michael Campbell Sr. will be Sunday, September 21, 2025, from 2 pm to 5 pm at the AFSCME Council 61 building, 4320 NW 2nd St, Des Moines, IA 50313.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the American Cancer Society, https://donate.cancer.org or by mail at P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741; and to Cubs Charities at https://www.mlb.com/cubs/community/cubs-charities/donate or by mail at Cubs Charities, Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St., Chicago, IL 60613.

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