Michael Campbell

Michael Campbell died wrapped in love and peace in his wife’s arms on February 8, 2024 after 75 years of hopes, dreams and goals fulfilled. Although death from cancer came faster than expected, there was less suffering for it, and Michael’s passing was true to his selfless nature: In life he was above all a caretaker, protector and provider for his family, and he would have nothing of being the needy patient, the center of attention. He will always love and watch over his beloved: Annie, his wife of 45 years; his daughter Amelia Felbinger, grandchildren Zia Rose and Forest Felbinger and their father Robert Felbinger; his daughter Cecily Campbell and her husband Ted Alcorn; his sisters Patricia Bobb and Kathleen Campbell; and his niece Brooke Bobb, her husband Ryan Yamakoshi, and their daughter Robbie.

Michael was born to Jack and Ruthanne Campbell on December 4, 1948 in Roswell, New Mexico, the second of four children. When he was 14, his father became Governor of New Mexico and the family moved to Santa Fe, which would remain Michael’s home for much of his life. He attended high school at New Mexico Military Institute, college and law school at the University of New Mexico, and clerked for The Honorable Oliver Seth at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals before joining the law firm of Campbell, Bingaman and Black.

As a trial attorney, Michael earned a reputation for his encyclopedic knowledge of the law, his inexhaustible work ethic, and integrity that was beyond reproach. His passion for his work, his meticulous preparation for cases, and his fiercely competitive nature were unparalleled. Over a long and distinguished career, he showed his clients a rare dedication. In retirement, with similar tenacity, he devoted himself to tutoring and mentoring Santa Fe junior high and high schoolers, certain that helping even one young person would mean it was time well spent.

Michael had a wonderful mind, was a deep reader of books and people, and attended to the details of domestic life with the same laser-like precision he employed in the courts. He was charming, tender-hearted, and a kind and generous host who always took care of others before himself. Those who heard him make public remarks, be it at a wedding or a professional event, will long remember his eloquence. To disagree with him on matters of substance meant being ready to lock horns, but it also meant delighting in his dry, skewering wit and learning from his rightful vexations. He always took an interest in the thoughts of others who saw the world differently. And possessed of a mischievous sense of humor, no one could more reliably make people laugh. How giant his heart, how tight his hugs, how good his margaritas — and how gracefully he could two-step across a country-western dance floor! 

Michael’s loyalty and faithfulness were unwavering. He was the pillar of his family, a true and irreplaceable friend, and heartstone in many lives. He was cut of a different cloth from a bygone era, one woven of fealty and duty and devotion. And although in his own life he picked a careful route toward prosperity and meaning, he gave his wife and daughters absolute freedom to follow their dreams. The rigid discipline to which he held himself was matched by his unswerving pride and confidence in them, whom he loved beyond measure. “God for me provided thee” is inscribed upon Michael and Annie’s wedding rings, and they lived in great thanksgiving for that gift. His close-knit family was his greatest achievement.

Throughout his life, Michael spent untold hours at the Campbell family’s cabin on the Pecos River and horsepacking into the Pecos Wilderness, a love that he inherited from his father and passed on to his children. Please make any memorial contributions to the Upper Pecos Watershed Association (P.O. Box 140, Pecos, NM 87552), whose work preserves this beautiful area of his beloved New Mexico. A Memorial Service for Michael will be held on June 29, 2024 10:00am at Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church.

Grief is strong, but gratitude is greater. Michael’s spirit is soaring free. His love remains.