Marilyn R. (Turner) Campbell

Marilyn R. Campbell, a life-long resident of Salem, NH died on June 22, 2019 following a long period of residential care, and complications of dementia. She was 86 years old.

Marilyn was born Marilyn R. Turner on July 31, 1932, the second of three daughters born to the late Howard E. Turner and Ruth (Kimball) Turner. She grew up on the dairy farm operated by her parents on Brady Avenue in Salem. She attended Salem schools and graduated from Woodbury High School in 1950. She attended the University of New Hampshire in Durham, where she graduated in 1954 with a degree in Occupational Therapy. While attending UNH she met her future husband, Bernard W.M. Campbell of Hampton, NH. The couple was married in Salem at the Pleasant Street Methodist Church in 1955.

Following a brief period of time during Bernard's army service, Bernard and Marilyn returned to work on the dairy farm and raise three sons. Bernard and Marilyn eventually purchased the farm from Marilyn's parents and operated it as Kev-Ber-Ken Farm. During this time Marilyn played host to literally thousands of Salem school children through a series of field trip visits to one of Salem's last active dairy farms. She also spent time as a substitute teacher in the Salem School District.

In 1986 Bernard and Marilyn left dairy farming and for a while, operated the farm as a fruit and vegetable business, selling farm products from a  farm stand constructed on Brady Avenue. Marilyn spent many hours greeting customers at the farm stand., In 1992 Bernard and Marilyn and their family decided to leave agriculture altogether and began the process to turn the family farm into a public golf course. Campbell's Scottish Highland's Golf Course opened in 1994 on the same land owned by Marilyn's family for generations. 

Bernard W.M. Campbell died in late 1996. Marilyn continued to serve as President of the family business that owns the golf course, and she participated in its operation up until her debilitating illness in 2014. She was often seen driving her golf cart around the golf course, giving tours to visitors and guests. When the course first opened, Marilyn worked in the kitchen and staffed the snack bar in the early morning hours, serving muffins and pastries she baked every day. She was also a dedicated follower of the Salem High School Golf Team which she and Bernard helped establish after the course opened. 

While still involved in agriculture Marilyn began a 20-year service to the State of New Hampshire, serving as a State Representative from Salem from the early 1970's to the early 1990's. She served on the House Environment and Agriculture committee and participated in several initiatives, including the state's "Current Use Taxation" law intended to preserve agricultural lands. Marilyn was active in farm organizations, and served as President of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Women. She and Bernard received recognition in their receipt of the "Mary Lee Ware" trophy for service to New Hampshire agriculture.

Locally, Marilyn served on several corporate Boards, including the Board of Directors of Granite State Electric Company and the Salemhaven Nursing Home. She shared her husbands involvement in education in Salem, and was inducted into the Salem/Woodbury Hall of Fame. In 1999 Marilyn was awarded the prestigious "Bill Brown Award' as Businessperson of the Year by the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce. She was actively involved in the Town of Salem 250th Anniversary Committee.

Marilyn was a life-long member of the Pleasant Street United Methodist Church in Salem, and was involved in its Utopia Club in the 1960's.

Marilyn is survived by her three sons and their families; Salem attorney Bernard H. Campbell and his wife Veralyn; retired Salem Fire Captain Kevin W. Campbell and his wife Carol, and former state wildlife biologist Kenneth I. Campbell and his wife Marianne. Marilyn had four grandchildren - Bernard W. Campbell, Rebecca Campbell, Dana Campbell and Craig Campbell, and two great grandchildren that she greatly enjoyed in her final years - Bernard R. Campbell and Ruth Campbell. She is also survived by a sister, Elsie M. Wilson of Westford, Massachusetts. In addition to being predeceased by her husband Bernard, she was also predeceased by her sister Elizabeth F. Lott.

At Marilyn's specific request, there are no calling hours, and any funeral services will be private.

The family asks that in lieu of any other memorials, that persons consider making a donation to the Salem New Hampshire Chapter of Dollars for Scholars to the Bernard W.M. Campbell and Marilyn R. Campbell Memorial Scholarship Fund at P.O. Box 297, Salem, NH., 03079

The family anticipates that at a future date, a "Scholarship Day" event will be held at Scottish Highlands to benefit the Scholarship fund honoring Bernard and Marilyn.

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