Military
Service:
Marriage:
Education:
Occupation:
Magdalena Otilia Haaf
Army, 177th Engrs
"D" Co, 1942-1945
June Sheffield Fawell
December 6, 1944
Minneapolis, Minnesota
University of Minnesota
Graduated December 1950
Industrial Arts Teacher
| Parents: Military Service: Marriage: Education: Occupation: |
Joseph Leander Kampa Magdalena Otilia Haaf Army, 177th Engrs "D" Co, 1942-1945 June Sheffield Fawell December 6, 1944 Minneapolis, Minnesota University of Minnesota Graduated December 1950 Industrial Arts Teacher |
|
| Children: | Frances Louise | Mar. 4, 1947 | |
| Margaret Anne | Oct. 31, 1948 | ||
| Robert Eugene | Apr. 26, 1951 | ||
| Carol Lee | Sept. 14, 1953 | ||
| Peter Joseph | June 14, 1962 | ||
| Divorced: | Aug. 1966 |
| Santa Clara, California | |
| 2nd Marriage: | Margaret L. Peralta |
| Dec. 30, 1969 | |
| Reno, Washoe, Nevada | |
| Divorced: | Jan. 1971 |
| Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California | |
| 3rd Marriage: | Mary Ann Deshler |
| February 16, 1974 | |
| Carson City, Nevada | |
| Widowed: | Aug. 5, 1985 |
| Notes: |
In the April 4, 1930 census, Gene was 8 years old and living with his parents, older siblings Don and Louise and his younger sister Dorothy in the family home in Claremont, Minnesota. Their house was valued at $2,500 (approximately $25,000 in 2001 dollars) and the family owned a radio. Gene was born in Claremont, Minnesota, the eighth of nine children. He attended Claremont High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army in October of 1942. He served in the Army engineers in Alaska and was honorably discharged in October 1945. He graduated from University of Minnesota in 1950 with a bachelor's degreee and teaching credential in Industrial Arts. Gene first taught in El Centro, CA in 1951. He next taught in Piedmont, CA in 1954 and in Danville, CA in 1958. In September of 1964 he taught in Danville, CA before teaching at the Sequoia Unified High School District in Redwood, CA. Gene lived in San Jose, California. Gene loved fishing, camping, travelling back home to Minnesota, photography, and after retirement, computers. One of his favorite hobbies was woodworking and he named his business, "Grandpa Kampa's Woodshop." He designed and built wood items for adults and children. He was proud of the achievements of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and happiest at family gatherings. Gene passed away at his home in San Jose, California on December 19, 2004. He was 82 years old. (Don Kampa's memories of his brother Gene:) "My brother Gene is next to the youngest. He was about 12 years old when my mother died. It was tough for him, being home after that with my sister Dorothy and Louise and Dad -- because my dad was not exactly the most understanding person. "Gene served overseas in WWII and spent a lot of time in the Aleutian Islands. When he got back, his girlfriend, June, rushed him off to the altar and they got married . . . and eventually they divorced. They had four [sic] children and the kids have all turned out well. "Gene's second wife, Mary Ann Deshler, was a very fine person. Sadly, she got cancer and passed away ten or twelve years ago." |
| Ancestry: | The Balder Line |
| The Franz Kampa Line | |
| The Stimmler/Stimler Line | |
Left to right: Joe, Frances, Gene and Louise Kampa
September 1942
Gene KampaGene in uniform
Camp Shelby, 1942September 1942
| "You once asked what I did in the Army during WW II. I was in the army engineers. Helped build
the hospital at Fort Richardson. Also worked on construction of Elmandorf Field. Left Anchorage in
January 1943 and landed at Amchitka after 21 days of seasickness. The ship was a new
Liberty ship and the superstructure broke loose from the rest of the ship and shimmied from side to
side. All of the machinery in the hold broke chains and banged from one side to the other. I was so
seasick I wished that it would sink and put me out of my misery. The destroyer and other small craft
escorting us were taking waves down their stacks and had to leave. A supply ship loaded with mutton
could not make it into the harbor and was tossed up on the rocks. For the next year we ate mutton at
least twice a day.
"To make a long story short, a couple of years ago I sent to St. Louis for a copy of the 177th Engs records. Got a package back about an inch thick with mostly blank pages of secret information. That is the pages were blank except for a date with Secret stamped on it." -- from an e-mail to Rae Bordua dated April 17, 2004 |
Gene Kampa in the Army in Alaska on Amchitka Island
"Island is now totally irradiated by bombs tested there during WWII."
Left to right: Lori and Katie (Bob's wife and daughter),
Fran (Gene's daughter), her husband Jack,
Margaret Fortino (née Kampa) and her husband, Joe
Bob is sitting.
All of Gene's kids and some of his grandkids
Left to right: Dorothy (Kampa) Fastiggi, Martha (Kampa) Munson Hanson, Frances (Kampa) Windhurst,
Don Kampa, Louise (Kampa) Kirkpatrick and Gene Kampa
Left to right: Margaret Fortino (née Kampa), Gene Kampa,
Fran Johnson (née Kampa) and Bob Kampa
November 23, 1995
"My buddy Oly -- I really lovedGene fishing outside of Santa Cruz, CA
that little dog."1998
Left to right: Louise (Kampa) Kirkpatrick, Dorothy (Kampa) Fastiggi,
Don Kampa, Gene Kampa and Martha (Kampa) Hanson.
Buchanan Grill
San Francisco, California
"This is the kind of thing I used to makeGene, Sandy, son Mike and Katrina
and sell at crafts fairs after I retired."at home
Standing, left to right: Carol Lee Butros (née Kampa), Louise Kirkpatrick (née Kampa) and Jack Munson
Seated, left to right: Gene Kampa and Dorothy Munson (née Drewes)
July 19, 2002
Half Moon Bay, California
Standing, left to right: Dorothy (Kampa) Fastiggi, John K. and Dorothy (Drewes) Munson,
Rae (Stimler) Bordua and Louise (Kampa) Kirkpatrick
Seated in front: Gene Kampa
Soquel, California
July 2003
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