Joe Camp

Joe B. Camp, 96, of Temple, Texas, passed away on January 13, 2021.  He was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on November 14, 1924.  He grew up in Junction, Texas, where he graduated from high school in 1942.  He completed his freshman year at Texas A&M College before he was drafted into the Army in June 1943.

Joe took basic training at North Camp Hood in Texas, and upon completion, the Army placed him in the ASTP Engineering Program, sending him to the University of Oklahoma where he completed engineering coursework.  After WWII, he returned to Texas A&M and graduated with a BS in Agricultural Engineering in 1948.

He went to work for the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in Pecos, Texas.  Following the war years, this region was experiencing an agricultural boom with large acreage being put into irrigated cotton production.  Joe’s knowledge and training as an agricultural engineer was in high demand.

It was there that he met and married Gay Poitevint.  The young couple joined the First Christian Church and remained members throughout their lives.  Children and promotions followed, and in 1965 Joe was transferred to San Marcos, Texas, to assume a lead position in watershed planning.

From San Marcos, the Camps moved to Temple, Texas, in 1973 where Joe assumed state-wide responsibilities.  After retiring from work in Temple, Joe’s involvements included church activities, NARFE, Freemasonry, Kiwanis, VFW, SPJST, and Wildflower Antique Auto Club.  Joe and Gay enjoyed trips to Canada, Europe, Hawaii, and most states in the U.S. by road and air.

Joe is preceded in death by his wife, Gay Camp, his son, Billy Camp, his parents, Blalock and Gladys Camp, and his sister, La Dell Burnette.  He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Linda Camp of Houston, his daughter and son-in-law, Shirley and Cody Vanderford of Oak Point, TX, his grandchildren and grandchildren-in-laws, Noelle and Jake Johnson of Alvin, TX, Tara and Spencer Kalliainen of Vancouver, WA, Bijan Camp of Houston, and Ryan and Emily Balliett of Euless, TX, and his great grandchildren, James and Arabella Johnson.  He is survived as well by multi-generations of nephews, nieces, and cousins.