Welcome to Katherine's Room

Vital spark of heavenly flame!
Quit, O quit this mortal frame!
Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying,
O! the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond nature, cease the strife,
And let me languish into life!

Hark! they whisper: angels say,
Sister spirit come away!
What is this absorbs me quite?
Steals in my senses, shuts my sight,
Drowns my spirit, draws my breath?
Tell me, my soul, can this be death?

The world recedes; it disappears!
Heaven opens on my eyes! my ears
With sounds seraphic ring!
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!
O grave where is your victory?
O death! where is thy sting?

- Alexander Pope -

Paul's mom, Katherine Campbell, lived with us for three years after her massive stroke in March of 1991 which paralyzed the right side of her body and greatly impaired her speech. Katherine was born in Hunt County, Texas on December 7, 1907 and died May 16, 1994.

Both she and her husband, The Doctor Paul Cambell Sr., were ordained ministers in the Disciples of Christ [commonly called The Christian Church], and upon their retirement they returned to the family homestead in Bonham, Texas where he served as clergyman to a few surrounding mission churches in Fannon County. Upon his death, Katherine continued his ministry to these churches in Ravena, Gober and Windom.

Katherine founded the auxiliary at the Hospital in Bonham; the auxiliary dedicated a small garden there to her memory in 1998. Although four years after her death, a friend and auxiliary volunteer remarked: "I still see her on every street corner."

The photo below shows Katherine with the hospital auxiliary:

The photograph below is of Katherine.

This next photo is one of my favorites:

The photograph below shows Katherine with her son Paul Campbell.

Katherine always treated me as if I were her son. One couldn't have a better mom. She enjoyed preparing excellent home cooked meals for us on those weekends that Paul and I made the trek to Bonham from Fort Worth. I especially enjoyed those games of 42 in the evening.

I fondly remember one weekend when I drove Katherine down to Fort Worth to visit us. As we approached Fort Worth there were problems on the highway so we left the freeway and traveled the city streets. There must have been fifteen to twenty stop lights on the route but that night we hit them all just right. We laughed ourselves giddy as we approached the last several and watched them change from red to green just in time for our arrival at the intersections.

Gerald Money, son of Katherine's only brother, has been a lifelong brother to Paul. His son, John Paul, who was named after Paul and myself, and Irma his beautiful wife visit us often.