Joseph Baldwin Campbell

Joseph Baldwin Campbell, 71 of Prairie Island, died Monday, January 19, 2015, at his home. He was born April 1, 1943, in Minneapolis, to Delmar and Lillian (Ulrich) Campbell, Sr. and attended school in Minneapolis. He married Carol Demo in 1964 and they lived in Prairie Island, later divorcing. He did logging work near Bena, Minnesota, worked for American Iron and Steel in Minneapolis and worked for Minneapolis Star Tribune delivering papers. He later did farming on the Island and he and his uncle Sonny became the first Native Americans to sell certified soybeans. Joe was very active politically and was a member of the MN Native American Chamber of Commerce, he ran for MN State Senate and was a head negotiator for tribal compact for casinos and helped pass the Indian gaming law. His heritage was also very important to him and he was a member of the MN Historical Society, was involved in Native American Story telling at the University of MN and the Arboretum in Chanhassen and was a part of the Native Language symposium; he served on the Prairie Island Tribal Council for multiple terms and on the Indian Child Welfare board. As an environmental activist, he was a member of Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, Mississippi River Basin Alliance and the Rainbow Coalition Anti-Nuclear group. He also enjoyed hunting, eating wild game and watching movies with family and friends.

He is survived by 3 children, Joseph B. (Lorina) Campbell, Tina (Ed) Jefferson and Bruce (Amber) Campbell; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; 1 sister, Darlene Roach; 1 brother, Delmar Campbell, Jr. and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Delberta Fink and a brother, Shawn Baker.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, January 24, 2015, at the Prairie Island Community Center. Visitation will begin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21 and will continue until the time of the service on Saturday. Burial will be at a later date.

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Visitation

JAN 21. 3:00 PM (CST)

Priarie Island Community Center
Welch, MN

Service

JAN 24. 11:00 AM (CST)

Priarie Island Community Center
Welch, MN