Camille Marie Willis
- Published: June 27, 2013
Camille Willis
Camille Marie Willis passed away on June 12 at her home in Yellow Springs. She was 68.
Camille was born on Aug. 8, 1944, in New Haven, Conn., to Dr. and Mrs. Thayer Willis, and grew up in Norwalk, Conn. She graduated from Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. in 1962. Camille chose Yellow Springs as the ideal place to raise her two young daughters.
She was a loving and devoted friend to all animals, and had a particular fondness for cats and golden retrievers. She loved the village of Yellow Springs, her close women friends and spending time with her beloved granddaughters, Camille Speagle and Nyla Pandey, who each inherited her beauty, intelligence and sassy wit. Camille loved to give health and medical advice and was the go-to health coach for family and friends. She also took part in and loved musical theater, gardening, the Glen, films and books of all genres.
Camille attended Clark State University, where she obtained a degree as a registered nurse in 1973. She later attended Central State University and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education in 1982.
Camille worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner for over 25 years. She also worked for a decade as the clinical nurse manager for Samaritan Hall, an adult and adolescent residential treatment center in Dayton. She eventually took a break from nursing to own and manage Camille’s Flowers from 1991–1994 in downtown Yellow Springs.
Camille is survived by her daughters, Kristen (Hill) Speagle of Champaign, Ill. and Linda (Hill) Pandey of Irvine, California, and her granddaughters, Camille and Nyla. She is also survived by her very special nephew Sean Miller of New Carlisle, Ohio, niece Lisa Whitney of Fayette, Maine, niece Priscilla Willis of Saugerties, N.Y. and many longtime friends.
Camille was preceded in death by her brother Thayer Willis Jr., sister Ann Willis Miller and many family pets that she loved and adored.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held in the fall of 2013 in Yellow Springs, with details to be announced at a later date. For more information, please contact daughter Linda at lindapandey2@gmail.com or Kristen at kchill98@yahoo.com.
The family wishes to thank the village of Yellow Springs for being the small town that Camille loved, as well as the village that helped raise her children.
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