Obituary of Leta Knight Camp

Leta Mae Knight Camp was born June 20, 1925, in Pittsburg, Kansas to the late L. M. Knight and Lucille Caldwell Brown. She was called home to be with her Lord on December 3, 2018 in Villa Rica, Georgia. The funeral service will be held on Friday, December 7, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at the Munford Church of Christ in Munford, Alabama with Minister Shane Clark officiating. The family will receive friends at the church from 12:30 p.m. until the service hour. Pallbearers will be Dr. Nathaniel J. Camp, Dr. Bert Chappell, Taylor Clark, William Davis, Jeff Jamison, Willis Martin, Brian Nelson, Jeremy Reynolds, Jim Swafford, Allen Parnell and Roy Swafford. Honorary pallbearers are Charles Bonner, Andy Collett, Dr. Gerry Krietz, Glenn Lackey, Johnny Earl Maxwell, John Murrell, Paul Salter, Don Stephens, Jeff Stephens, and Leon Stephens.

Leta was raised in the Grasmere community of Talladega County. She was Valedictorian and President of the Childersburg High School Class of 1943. She attended the very first class of the Alabama Girls State sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary of Alabama in 1942. She went on to attend the University of Montevallo (Alabama College) for two years. In 1944, during World War II, she began teaching English and Writing at Munford High School.

While teaching at Munford, the beautiful teacher caught the eye of a young soldier who had returned home from the war. Leta and Ashley Leonidas Camp, Jr. were married on May 17, 1946. During the early years of their marriage Leta attended Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama and later St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, while Ashley was earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Palmer College of Chiropractic. They set up housekeeping in Talladega and later in Munford. Together, they built a home, a family, including three sons, Ashley Camp, III, Dr. Cary Camp, and Dr. Bruce Camp and a chiropractic practice for almost 47 years until Dr. Ashley Camp’s death on March 14, 1993.

Leta held secretarial positions at the Talladega Board of Education, Stretch-Tex Company, and Soderham Manufacturing Company. In January of 1982, she retired from her position as a secretary at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and began working for Dr. Ashley and Dr. Cary Camp in their chiropractic office.

Little did Leta know when she attended that first Alabama Girls State session, where she was educated in the duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of American citizens, as well as the importance of participating in government, that she would be married to a Talladega County State Representative. From 1958-1966, Leta graced the capitol of Alabama as she supported “June”, as he was often called, in his service to the county and the state. A very large part of this service included Dr. Camp’s sponsorship of bills funding programs to assist the mentally disabled. Leta and June had a very personal interest in helping educate mentally challenged individual. As they sought to educate their own son, Ashley III, who was born with Down syndrome, they worked to help others.

Leta was a faithful member of the Munford Church of Christ, where she continued throughout her life to grow in her faith and to love and be loved in return. Her hobbies included flower arranging and as an expression of this interest she was an active member and President of the Jonquil Garden Club. She also enjoyed needlework, and traveling. She tended to be a “collector” and once recalled, “Ashley says I am a collector of paper clippings, magazine articles, etc.. I agree but I can come up with information that others need and want.”

Leta was preceded in death by her parents, as well as her husband, Dr. Ashley L. Camp, Jr., her son, Ashley L. Camp, III, two sisters, Loree Knight and Ann Hudson Ward. She is survived by her sister, Lois Hudson Chappell, two sons, Dr. Cary F. Camp (Annette) and Dr. Bruce A. Camp (Sandi) and grandchildren, Cara Jean Camp, Dr. Nathaniel J. Camp (Christina), Ashley Camp Davis (Will), Kayde Reynolds (Jeremy), and three great grandchildren Addilyn, Amelia, and Ellie.

Online condolences may be offered at www.usreyfuneralhome.com

Usrey Funeral Home in Talladega will direct the services.