Wayne Franklin Campbell

Wayne Franklin Campbell was born on December 14, 1954, in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to Henry and Vivian Campbell, the youngest of their two boys. The family relocated to Niceville, Florida before Wayne turned one. Wayne grew up in Niceville and, eventually, Niceville was the place he returned to raise his family. Wayne attended Edge Elementary, Ruckel Junior High School, and Niceville Senior High School, where he graduated with the Class of ‘73. He played basketball for the Ruckel Rams and Niceville Eagles JV team. He once shot 15 free throws in a row, not missing one. Wayne attended Okaloosa Walton Junior College after high school. Wayne continued his education as a Business major at the University of West Florida, graduating in December, 1978.  He would later return to UWF to complete a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, graduating in December, 1986.

In June, 1977, Wayne met Susan King at Adkins IGA, where they both worked.  At first, Wayne came across brash and egotistical to Susan.  Wayne cajoled Susan with stories of his basketball prowess, which she initially took to be nothing more than his ego. Wayne invited Susan to one of his games. At that game, Wayne made every shot he took and pointed at her afterwards. That was the beginning of a lifetime of memories Susan will hold dearly in her heart. Wayne and Susan were married February 24, 1979 at First Baptist Church in Niceville, which is their home church today. They recently celebrated forty-seven years of love, friendship, companionship, and devotion to one another.

For those who had the good fortune to know Wayne, they would know that his greatest joy and source of pride was his children, Meagan and Ryan.  April 16, 1984 brought Wayne the first of his fatherly joys. Meagan, a true Daddy’s Girl, had Wayne wrapped around her finger. Meagan developed the love of golf through her Dad’s love for the game.  She too was a leftie and played from the wrong side of the tee box; just like her Dad.  One of Wayne’s favorite golf memories with Meagan was being at the Florida State High School Golf Tournament in 2001, where he saw Meagan hit a hole-in-one.  May 5, 1986 was the second of Wayne’s fatherly joys as his son, Ryan, was born.  During Ryan’s early years, Ryan and his Dad shared a love for wrestling. They would often be found in the floor wrestling with Ryan’s Hulk Hogan pillow. Another favorite memory of Ryan’s was a trip the three of us took to Las Vegas. Being able to spend time with his Dad in a relaxed atmosphere with good conversation was priceless. Whether it was academics, sports, or simply a passing interest that one of his children expressed, Wayne was always front and center as their number one fan. He embraced being a father with the same commitment to succeeding with which he approached everything else in life.

Wayne was never afraid of hard work. He began his working career as a bag boy and grocery stocker during his high school and college years.  Upon graduation from UWF, he interviewed to be the Patient Accounts Supervisor at Gulf Coast Community Hospital in Panama City, FL.  From there he continued his climb up the ladder becoming the Business Office Manager/Assistant Controller at the then Crestview Hospital.  It was there he realized he wanted to work more in the corporate side of the hospital business.  He returned to UWF to pursue an accounting degree.  Upon graduating, Wayne received his first opportunity to become an “O” interviewing for Chief Financial Officer at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, FL. Wayne established himself as a risk taker with initiatives that raised Palms West to become one of the top hospitals in the United States.  While at Palms West, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the daily operations of the hospital.  His desire to become a Chief Executive Officer was fulfilled when the opportunity to turn-around a failing Palm Beach Regional Hospital in Lake Worth, FL was offered to him.  Again, being a risk taker, and hiring the people who would make a positive change to the hospital he brought about success within a few months.  Unfortunately, the company chose to close Palm Beach Regional, shortly after achieving success.  With the hospital closing, Wayne was determined to find jobs for all of his employees that needed help.  It was a huge undertaking, but he felt it was necessary after asking them to help him rebuild the reputation of Palm Beach Regional. With the closing, Wayne returned to Palms West Hospital as Chief Executive Officer.  He remained there for a year, until the opportunity to return “home” to the Florida panhandle became available. Wayne became the CEO of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center (now HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital).

Wayne was always a bit of a risk taker, and as the helm of the hospitals he ran, he was willing to put his career and reputation on the line to do what he thought was right. This included thinking ahead to what was best for his community. In 2003, he and his staff established the stellar Heart Center at FWBMC so that families would not have to travel to Pensacola for care. The opening of the Heart Center required the addition of a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and the Healthy Heart Rehab Center.   He also successfully campaigned to have FWBMC designated as a certified Trauma Center for our area. This foresight and willingness to invest in his community has saved many lives over the years.  When he perceived that a shortage of nurses was imminent, he, along with Dr. Bob Richbourg of Okaloosa-Walton Community College, spearheaded the establishment of the State of Florida’s first nurse training program at a community college. It took numerous trips to Tallahassee and countless meetings to create the current top tier medical program that is within the reach of our community at Northwest Florida State College and that effort has paid off with a plethora of well-trained and dedicated nurses working at our area hospitals. Some of these nurses took care of Wayne during his stay at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital’s ICU. For his dedication to his community and alma mater, Okaloosa Walton College, he received the 1999 and 2004 Okaloosa Walton College Distinguished Alumni Award.  In 2003, He was selected as the State of Florida Leroy Collins Distinguished Alumni Award.

His skill at recruiting others to his cause and motivating them to succeed came from an understanding that he was only as good as those who surrounded him.  Wayne always made it clear that all of his staff members were key to the success of the hospital.  This translated into recruiting the best doctors in their field and providing them with tools they needed to excel.  He felt it was integral to the operations of the hospital to cultivate trust and respect with those around him.  He was seen every morning walking the hospital halls at 6:00 a.m. to catch the night shift before they left, and making that walk again at every shift change. From highly specialized physicians to the environmental services crew, Wayne knew their names and would listen to their concerns. 

Wayne took the same team-based approach to the numerous charitable organizations who benefited from his leadership and generosity. He felt strongly that the hospital should be involved in supporting the community it served beyond just providing medical care. Giving back to the community that raised him was one of Wayne’s proudest accomplishments. Organizations often sought out Wayne’s help because they knew that when he set his mind to something, he would make sure it happened. Listing all the ways that Wayne helped others would take pages, but he was particularly passionate about the United Way, which recognized him as a Red Feather Member, the American Heart Association, Horizons, the American Cancer Society, Rotary Club International of Fort Walton Beach, Fort Walton Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Covenant Hospice, and Northwest Florida State College Foundation Board of Directors. 

Wayne saw the community repay his help over the years when the worst happened.  He and Susan lost their daughter Meagan to a car accident on September 13, 2002. The love and compassion from so many people is what carried them through their darkest hour.  It was then that the community rose up to help endow the Meagan Lynne Campbell Scholarship as part of the nursing program at NWFSC. Meagan’s legacy thus became one of helping others and her community, just as the young woman who was so much like her father would have wanted. 

The tragedy they experienced brought Wayne and Susan even closer to their faith.  In April, 2004, they were baptized together.  Wayne approached faith just like he did everything else in life, with an absolute commitment to being the best he could be at it.  He loved to learn and joined the Boggy Bunch Life Group at First Baptist Church on Bayshore, where he instigated many a discussion as part of his dedication to learning as much about the Bible and Jesus as he could. Through his church, Wayne continued to serve others in his community, often providing a helping hand at the Twin Cities Pavilion, tutoring young students at Edge Elementary, and joining the Church’s Committee for their Beyond these Walls building campaign. 

After thirty-one years of working and serving HCA (Hospital Corporation of America), Wayne decided it was time to retire.  Wayne enjoyed his well-earned retirement by doing the things he loved, which mostly meant spending time with his family and getting to enjoy his lifelong passion for sports, from NASCAR races to watching Raider Basketball games, to cheering on his Florida Gators. He and Susan traveled by car, taking a month-long ‘bucket list’ trip out to California and back. They played golf, white-water rafted, and took a hot-air balloon ride.  They visited New York City where Wayne got to watch his Yankees play and eat at Mickey Mantle’s restaurant. However, it was his love of the game of golf that dominated many of his retirement years. Wayne and Susan traveled all over to play at various golf courses and went to the Solheim Cup in 2024 to watch the American women take on Europe. Still, despite all the amazing courses Wayne had the chance to play, if you asked him, it was Rocky Bayou Country Club’s course that was his favorite. Wayne and his group of “Crazy Golfers” played three times a week and, despite being a leftie or perhaps because of it, if you believed Wayne’s “Lefties don’t miss” promise, Wayne managed two hole-in-ones on that course. He also had a hole-in-one at the Top of the Rock Course in Branson, MO. It was the camaraderie as much as the competition of the sport that he enjoyed, though. Just like with his career and his community involvement, Wayne surrounded himself on the golf course with people who made each other better.  Over the years, his friendships from the green came to mean more to him than any score ever could. 

His friends, of course, knew that as Wayne’s friend, you would be on the receiving end of his well-known and very dry and sarcastic sense of humor.  Rest assured that if you were on the receiving end of one of his “Wayneisms”, it meant that he liked you. Wayne…liked a lot of people. He liked it even more if you gave it back to him with just as much gusto. In fact, by this point in his obituary, he would probably have made at least three smart remarks about it. Consider those implied, on his behalf. 

For some, Heaven may be gold-paved streets and towers of ivory, but for Wayne, we suspect it is a perfectly clipped green, where his daughter Meagan and brother James are waiting for him to step up to the tee. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed, but we commend him to his Heavenly Father’s hands where we know he will have peace. 

All of this is to say that, if, as it is said in Matthew 7:16, we are recognized by our fruits, Wayne Campbell lived a very fruitful life, indeed. The impact he had on this world--on his family, his community, his church, and his friends--cannot be overstated. Actions, Jesus tells us, reveal our true character. If that is the measure, then Wayne Campbell’s character was defined by service to others, in all the ways that matter. He was a hard-working leader, a loyal friend, a devoted and loving father and husband, and a man of deep and abiding faith who adhered to the admonition to let his actions speak for him--though Wayne may have had a few sarcastic remarks to add here and there.

The family would like to acknowledge HCA Florida Fort Walton Beach-Destin’s ICU staff and physicians, Dr. Henry Hsiang, Dr. Marko Perovic, and the Renalus Group Physicians for their outstanding care and compassion. Thank you to Emerald Coast Hospice for their compassion for Wayne, Ryan, and Susan on Wayne’s final day.

Wayne is survived by his wife Susan Campbell, his son, Ryan Campbell, as well as Norman King (Father-in-Law), Dallene Cole (Honorary Mom), Gail H. Campbell (Sister-in-Law), Caryn Campbell (Niece), K.C. Campbell (Nephew), Phyllis Williams (Sister-in-Law), John Williams (Brother-in-Law), Wesley Williams (Nephew), Nina Williams (Niece), Cynthia Yuhasz (Sister-in-Law), Josh Yuhasz (Brother-in-Law), Allan Claus (Nephew),  Timothy Claus (Nephew) and Kaylee Sterner (Matt) Niece, along with the children of Wesley, Nina, and Kaylee.

Wayne was preceded in death by his beloved daughter, Meagan Lynne Campbell, Henry Ford Campbell (Father), Vivian Louise Campbell (Mother), James F. Campbell (Brother), Dora King (Mother-in-Law). 

Visitation will be held at Heritage Gardens Funeral Home on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. The funeral will be held on Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church on Bayshore in Niceville, FL with a graveside service at Heritage Gardens Cemetery on North Partin Drive to follow.  A reception to celebrate Wayne will be taking place at Rocky Bayou County Club after graveside services.  Pallbearers will be Artie Brito, Earl Clark, David Ellis, Doug Hall, Randy Johns, Shane O’Dell, David, Smith, and Randy Smith. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Meagan L. Campbell Scholarship Fund at NWFSC or the Beyond these Walls Building Fund at First Baptist Church on Bayshore. 

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