John R. (“Buzz”) Campbell passed on March 24, 2026, peacefully at his North Hill Community residence in Needham Massachusetts, at the age of 90. He had recently been diagnosed with advance pancreatic cancer. Buzz, as he is affectionately known to all, is survived by Caroline Collina Campbell, his loving wife of 68 years, and two children Lori Frieling (Bob) of Wellesley MA and Jack Campbell of Fairfield, CT. Buzz and Caroline were fortunate to share their lives with seven grandchildren: Grant Frieling, Carly Frieling, Casey Frieling (Ben Brondsky), Taylor Frieling, Alyson Campbell McAlister (Bryan), Hilary Campbell Bhatia (Kieran) and Matthew Campbell. Buzz is also survived by 4 great-grandchildren; Madison, Sawyer and Savannah Frieling and Teddy Brondsky. Buzz is also survived by his loving brother and sister-in-law Kent & Alice Campbell of Andover MA, and their children and grandchildren.
Youth & High School
Buzz was born Sept 10, 1935 at the Boston Lying in Hospital, to his parents John and Bobsy Campbell, and grew up in Wellesley Hills MA, along with his brother Kent and sister Susan (deceased).
Buzz attended Wellesley High School, where he started dating Caroline in the 10th grade. However, he reminded everyone that they first played spin-the-bottle in the 7th grade, commencing their romantic relationship that continued for 76 years. In High School Buzz excelled in gymnastics, football, drama, and was president of his class. Academically, he tilted toward science, portending his future career.
College RPI
In 1953 Buzz went off to Rennsellear Politechnic Institute in Troy, New York. At RPI he excelled in hockey and lacrosse. He occasionally mentioned squaring off against the famed Jim Brown when RPI played Syracuse in lacrosse. Outgunned and outsized, Buzz held his own with his characteristic grit. At RPI, he joined the Navy ROTC program, which took him on memorable midshipman summer naval cruises to England, France and the Mediterranean. He pursued studies at RPI focusing on thermodynamic/mechanical engineering, graduating with a BME in 1957. Buzz was an active member of PKE fraternity, and a leading supporter of RPI. He maintained close relationships with his fraternity brothers, classmates and the university for his entire life. Buzz rounded out his education after the Navy, by earning an MBA from Lehigh University in 1966.
Navy
Upon graduation from RPI in June 1957, Buzz was commissioned in the Navy, and he and Caroline were married in Wellesley, honeymooned in Montreal, and soon moved to Pensacola FL for naval flight training. Lori was welcomed as navy brat #1 in Pensacola in 1958. Buzz and Caroline subsequently moved to Norfolk, where Buzz received his wings and joined the VS-27 anti-submarine squadron, piloting and commanding the Grumman S-2 aircraft tracking cold war enemy submarines in the North Atlantic. During his five year naval career he flew off the carriers Valley Forge, Essex and Intrepid (now the Intrepid Museum in New York City). He shared many “memorable incidents, accidents and hairy experiences” in both the air and aboard ship, and those Navy years were some of the most memorable of his life. In Norfolk, Jack arrived as navy brat #2 in 1961 and Buzz was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1962.
Career
In 1963, Buzz joined Air Products & Chemicals in Allentown PA. During his 12 years there he held a range of senior marketing and international business development roles, including Manager of International Business Development of the Industrial Gases Division, which frequently took him across the world s expanding the company’s global customer base. In 1976 he moved the family to Cleveland OH to become EVP-COO of Burdox Industrial Gases, where he was later instrumental in the sale of the company to AGA AB of Sweden. Buzz was a longstanding member of the International Oxygen Manufacturers Association (IOMA), serving as President in 1980. He and Caroline created many friendships at IOMA, and enjoyed their wonderful and often exotic international annual meetings, connecting with industry leaders from around the world.
In 1981 Buzz formed JR Campbell & Associates in Cleveland, where he provided marketing, and strategy consulting services to US and international clients in the industrial, medical and specialty gases markets, with a focus on high pressured gas and cold cryogenics production and distribution. I In 1984 Buzz and Caroline moved from Cleveland back to their Boston area roots, to Lexington MA., and in 1989 he started Cryogas International, which grew into the leading international print and digital monthly journal for the gas and cryogenics industry. Cryogas had a successful 25 year run, when Buzz sold it to a European partner in 2015.
From 2015 forward, Buzz continued to provide consulting services, concentrating on the Helium, CO2, Hydrogen and Argon markets. Perhaps his favorite and final project was working on the Deep Underground Experiment (DUNE) project for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The project studied neutrinos, subatomic particles that may someday explain the differences between matter and antimatter. Buzz enthusiastically enjoyed and passionately embraced a 60+ year business career that continued until his 90th birthday. Over his career he enjoyed a community of like-minded colleagues and clients, all of whom valued Buzz’s friendship, energy and generosity of spirit – and he equally enjoyed theirs.
North Hill Community
In 2016, Buzz and Caroline moved from Wayland MA, to the North Hill Community, in Needham MA. Just as he did in his college, military, and business careers, he plunged right into the cultural fabric of North Hill where he helped create a range of new programs for the residents. He spent his free time developing a weekly current events discussion group, organizing speaker forums, and participating in the resident finance committee making recommendations to the management of the Community. Buzz loved the camaraderie, intellectual stimulation, and genuine friendships he and Caroline were able to create at North Hill over the last 10 years of his life.
Buzz developed and maintained many lifelong friends from RPI, the Navy, Air Products, AGA/Burdox, IOMA, his consulting firm, Weston Golf Club and most recently North Hill. He will be universally remembered for bringing intelligence, curiosity and unbridled delight to every colleague, friend and family member who was fortunate to know him.
Buzz remained deeply connected to RPI and to his beloved Class of 1957 classmates throughout his life. He generously gave both his time and his resources to strengthen the RPI community, most notably through his support of the Class of 1957 Spectrum Award, ensuring that current and future generations of students will benefit from the same opportunities that meant so much to him.
Funeral Mass will be held at St. Paul Church, 502 Washington St., Wellesley on Saturday, May 2nd, at 11am followed by a burial at Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley. Visiting hours omitted.
Those who wish to honor Buzz’s legacy may consider making a gift, in lieu of flowers, to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in support of the Spectrum Award Fund in his memory. Gifts may be mailed to the Gift Processing Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, PO Box 3164, Boston, MA 02241-3164, or made online at: impact.rpi.edu/project/3034.