REBECCA CAMPBELL
1972 – 2025
Rebecca Campbell’s beautiful soul and indomitable spirit left this earthly plain at the end of April. Rebecca had an inner survivor strength, so strong that she dodged more than her share of near-death experiences over the years, but shockingly and sadly, died on the farm she loved due to a tragic accident. Predeceased by her parents (Colin and Pamela), Rebecca is survived by her brother Adam (Kate) in Nova Scotia and half-siblings Maria (Poppy), Camilla, Theresa, Paul (Hetty) and Fran (Paul), all in England. Rebecca is also survived by former partner and friend Maureen and predeceased by former in-laws she affectionately called Mama Strickland and John Rock. Rebecca’s friends knew her as Bec, Becs, Beccy, Becky and Becca. She is survived by lifelong friends in East Anglia, United Kingdom and Nevada, as well as newer friends from the last 14 years in Northern Ontario. She left behind three beloved pets – Aslan, Skybaby and Hero – who will live out their days with people who loved her. Eventually, they will all be reunited at the Rainbow Bridge. Rebecca was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England on March 25, 1972, and lived there until she moved to Canada in 2007 with her then-partner Maureen. They first lived on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia close to her brother Adam, before moving to Manitoulin Island, Ontario (where Maureen grew up) and purchasing a farm in Ice Lake in 2012. Rebecca became a proud Canadian citizen in July 2019. Rebecca attended St. Helen’s Primary and Northgate Secondary in Ipswich. She really enjoyed Christchurch Park or a day out at the beach. On her 8th birthday she began a lifelong interest in photography. Rebecca loved summer holidays in a small caravan with plenty of feral cats to feed. She spent many hours finding bright stones and fossils on the shore. As a child, Rebecca enthusiastically took part in anti-nuclear and peace marches, shouting slogans with the best of them. She tolerated attending the Unitarian Meeting House with the family, but particularly loved the candlelight service at Christmas. Not much for school, and leaving at age 16, Rebecca travelled throughout Europe and the United Kingdom with various friends in a camper van. Rebecca was a lifelong learner and at age 30, earned a City and Guilds Basic Plumbing certificate, plying her trade doing plumbing maintenance at Charing Cross and Paddington Stations in London. At the age of 45, she earned an Honours Diploma in Hairstyling and cut hair at Hair Central in Sudbury. Rebecca was a one-of-a-kind, independent spirit who lived life on her own terms. She was extremely creative and had a beautiful mind. Rebecca had strong views on how we could make this world a more community-oriented and equitable society based on a fundamental respect for the natural world. She lived her values, as best she could and was extraordinarily generous. From skipping school with her mates from Northgate Secondary, to hard partying in her 20s, musical festivals and pubs into her 40s and lately, a chinwag over a nice cup of tea, Rebecca loved nothing more than to hang out with friends and have a good laugh. She had a wild and adventurous streak but was also a serious homebody. In recent years, Rebecca enjoyed writing swing poetry and sharing it with the world through social media. She lived inside the rhythms of nature. She loved the return of spring on the farm, engaging in her own personal BBC Spring Watch after a winter of cooking delicious food, stoking the woodstove, making snow sculptures and keeping the birds fed. In summer and fall, she loved the feeling of freedom heading out on her electric bike for local adventures, hanging out in her tree tent in the hardwood forest on the farm or swimming for hours in the healing waters of Lake Kagawong. Rebecca will be deeply missed by all who loved her. Celebrations of Rebecca’s Life will take place in Ice Lake, Nova Scotia and England.
