July 12, 1943 – March 29, 2023

Stu Campbell was born July 12, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Stew and Mary (Molly) Campbell. He was the oldest of six children; siblings Jeff, David, Jim, Judy, and Scott followed. Stu attended East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry. He served in the Army in Army Intelligence and was involved in classified missions involving Turkey. Stu married Mary Rhoads in the mid-sixties, and they had 4 children together. Stu was quite the character; he liked to remove his teeth to entertain his grandchildren, usually while out to dinner. Stu had a million stories of life, and he loved to tease those around him. In the wintertime he taught skiing in Colorado at SilverCreek Resort in Granby, and at Winter Park Resort; in the summers Stu ran horses for a multitude of dude ranches. Stu drove The Lift bus in Winter Park, he was a truck driver, a rancher, and a rodeo cowboy, riding bulls and broncs, and the last bull he rode was in Fraser, Colorado, on his 50th birthday. He was a prolific writer of the cowboy life, publishing over 50 books, including his Horsin’ Around series, short stories and magazine articles. Stu was a proud member of Alcoholics Anonymous, earning his 40 year sobriety chip in 2023. After retiring from the ski and dude life, Stu spent his time traveling the United States, selling his books and visiting his children and grandchildren. He spent the winters in Quartzsite, Arizona, selling books at Reader’s Oasis Books, home of the notorious Naked Bookseller. Stu had five children: Christine Campbell, Will (Shirley) Campbell, Ben (Becca) Campbell, Sam Campbell, and Lorri Campbell; grandchildren Tyler, Kortnie (Dave) Valencia, Reggie Campbell, Hanna Campbell, Kodi Campbell, Wyatt Campbell, Saige Campbell, Piper Campbell, Aspen Rider; great-grandchildren Luke, Amelia, Claire and Jack. Stu left us far too soon at the age of 79. We will miss his bright smiles, his deep laughs, and his wonderful stories. A memorial service will be held later this summer.