Charles Dennis Campbell

Charles Dennis Campbell of Monarch, Montana, passed away on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 91. He followed his beloved Susie by less than four months, and those who knew them best will tell you he was never meant to be long without her.

Campbell was born on April 8, 1935, in Great Falls, Montana, to Guy and Winifred (Joyce) Campbell. His early years were as hard as a Montana winter. He lost his mother when he was 12, and his father and siblings were largely absent from his life. With no one place to call home, he found shelter with his grandmother and great-aunt, strict women whose discipline he learned from even as he did his best to dodge it. Then there was Leo LaMar, owner of the Ozark Club in Great Falls, who taught him cleverness and the basics of business. Campbell never lacked for grit, but it was the kindness of these unlikely caretakers that shaped him.

At Great Falls Central he was a standout quarterback, graduating with scholarship offers from Fresno State and Montana State. He played at Fresno State as a true freshman.

He answered the call of his country and joined the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War era. After his service he came home to Montana State College in Bozeman, where he played football for the Bobcats and earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1960.

It was at Montana State that he met Susan “Susie” Rinderknecht, and he wasted no time marrying her. The young couple were inseparable, with the exception of four quarters of football. Legend has it that on the day they exchanged vows, Campbell brought the Bobcats to victory as Susie cheered him on from the bleachers.

He built a long career as a mechanical and mining engineer, a path that took the family from Great Falls to Havre, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and many places in between. Along the way, he and Susie raised six children: Thomas, Carmen, Fritz, Matthew, Erin, and Tucker "TJ."

Campbell had never wrestled himself, but he loved the sport's toughness and knew it suited his boys. In 1969, he helped found the YMCA-North Montana Wrestling Club, the first youth wrestling club in Great Falls. The first team had just seven wrestlers; by 1974 there were 70. Today the North Montana Wrestling Club enrolls more than 100 young athletes, and Great Falls' proud wrestling tradition owes much to his vision.

His philosophy was simple: skills, fitness, and confidence, and his sons took it to heart. Tom won national youth titles in multiple disciplines. Fritz won two state championships and wrestled at Harvard. Matthew and TJ each won four straight state titles and went on to wrestle at Nebraska and Minnesota, and Matthew later won an NAIA national championship at MSU-Northern after serving in the Marines. Several of the boys won Junior World titles and competed overseas. Asked which of them was the best, Campbell would never say.

What he would acknowledge, however, was the pride he had in his daughters, Carmen and Erin. Wise enough to stay clear of the wrestling mat, they were accomplished athletes in their own right, and each went on to build a creative career of her own. Carmen as an architect and Erin as an interior designer.

In 1992, Campbell and Susie settled in Monarch, where their cabin home became both a peaceful getaway and a lively gathering place for family and friends. The cabin stood long before they found it, but it was Campbell and Susie who breathed charm into it – a charm that has held two generations of grandchildren under its spell.

A cancer survivor, Campbell set an audacious goal during his recovery: to ride broncs at the World-Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. And ride he did, a display of strength and grit that surprised no one who knew him.

Campbell's family knew him for his epic tales of the West, trials and tribulations that rival any Hollywood western. He told them not to boast but to give color to the hard, beautiful life he lived. He never called himself a hero, but he was resilient, rugged, hardworking, resolute, and an impressive outdoorsman. Behind the toughness was a tender heart for the love of his life, Susie. They shared more than six decades of marriage, and their family takes comfort in knowing they are together again.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Susan Rae Campbell; son, Tucker "TJ" Campbell; parents, Guy and Winifred Campbell; brother, Bruce Campbell; and sister, Betsy Barrett; and adopted son and friend, Floyd Vaughn.

He is survived by his children, Thomas Campbell of Livingston, Carmen Campbell-Tyler (Kyle) of Bozeman, Matthew Campbell (Kevann) of Helena, Erin Campbell (Mark) of Stonington, Connecticut, and Fritz Campbell (Kristan) of Portland, Oregon; sister, Joan Denny of Everett, Washington; grandchildren, Zach Campbell (Ashley), Scott Campbell (Melissa), Tahnee Peppenger, Parker Tyler (Hannah), Bridger Tyler (Callie), Mackenzie Brennan (Ryan), Tyler Campbell (Katie), Hilary Honadel, Kristian Honadel, Adrian Campbell (Maggie), Nico Campbell (Lauren), Gabriella Campbell, Quincy Campbell, Alex Jefson, Brady Jefson, and Kjehl Campbell; and great-grandchildren, Kynnedi, Jaxson, Rivers, Campbell, Joss, John, Alette, Harrison, Warner, Noelle, Milo, and Luca.