Robert “Bob” William Campbell, age 68, of Roosevelt, passed away April 20, 2025, at the Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, Utah following a heart incident.
He was born September 25, 1956, in Hamilton, Montana, to Edgar and Blanche Campbell. He was the last of six siblings who all grew up and learned the value of hard work in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley.
Bob attended high school at Stevensville High and later joined the United
States Air Force. His time aboard a Boeing KC-135 refueling aircraft took him to see many places throughout the country and world.
Upon returning to Montana, he met the love of his life, Breta. They were married August 10, 1979. Bob and Breta began traveling as Bob began off-shore drilling. It was there that Bob developed his roots in the oilfield that so many of us know him from. The off-shore drilling brought him to places like Trinidad/Tobago and Barbados. Not long after the birth of his first son, Kirk, Bob decided to give up off-shore drilling. Bob and Breta moved to Eastern Montana to continue his career in the oilfield. It was here that their second and third sons, Kent and Cheney, were born.
He moved his family to the Dakotas for a short time, working roustabout and oilfield jobs and ended up at Trico Industries selling and servicing Trico and Kobe hydraulic lift systems. Bob later took a transfer to Utah with Trico Industries and over the years the company underwent various
name changes through acquisitions and significant expansion. After almost 40 years, Bob retired from Weatherford International and ended up helping his son, Kent, with another oilfield venture, Uintalift, doing similar work that he had so much experience with. Though he was retired, he kept friendships with many of the people he had worked with over the years. Living in Utah was not his “end plan,” but he made so many friends and planted such deep roots that it made it hard for him to leave.
Throughout the years, Bob was involved in other businesses within the Basin. In the early 90’s, Bob helped his brother, Merlin, with Campbell Timber, where they logged for many years. Bob saw this as a family affair and took his family along where he helped instill the value of hard work as they measured and cut wood, and prepared it for transport to Montana. Bob and Breta later opened Uintah Basin Ice Company. It was again a family affair and they all made, packaged, and delivered ice to many of our local businesses.
In his youth, Bob enjoyed various forms of recreation. He loved the outdoors and took his family on many hunting, fishing and camping trips. Bob loved to travel and see the world and had a special love for the Bahamas. Bob and Breta had the opportunity to travel to many places over the last few years, including spending the winters in Lake Havasu, Arizona, with Breta’s sister, Linda (Ed) Frink.
We can’t talk about Bob without talking about his love of mechanics and cars. His passion for cars is another thing he passed on to his boys. He loved working on old cars and seeing the end result of having them restored. He saw to completion the restoration of many collector vehicles, with one of his favorites being Mopar. Bob was involved with the Uintah Basin Car Show from the beginning, in 2009, and loved meeting like-minded people who shared his interests.
In more recent years, Bob found much enjoyment reconnecting with family. He looked forward to his reunion in Montana where he enjoyed sharing stories.
Bob is survived by his wife of 45 years, Breta, his sons, Kirk (Leah) Campbell, Kent (Jody) Campbell, Cheney (Mary) Campbell; his 17 grandchildren, Gage, Kellie, Braxton, Jeston, Janelle, Bridger, Kase, Kaye, Madison, Macy, Cache, Reese, Heidi, Vanessa, Tommy, Emilyn, and Auri; brothers, Harold (Jeanette) Campbell, Merlin (Randy) Campbell; sisters, Karen (Don) Wandler, and Margaret Sperry.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Blanche Campbell, brother, Richard Campbell, and his brother-in-law, Glenn Sperry.
Per his wishes, Bob was cremated and his cremated remains will be scattered.
A memorial service will be held at the Roosevelt Crossroads Senior Center, 50 E 200 S, on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM.