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Service

Sunday, July 17, 2016
2:00 PM EDT
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Up North Pride
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Cherryland Floral
1208 S. Garfield
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 941-5761
Driving Directions
Web Site

Flower Station
341 W. Front St.
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 946-1742
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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Bob Cameron was a dreamer.

He died surrounded by family, held in love by many, many hearts. He was a sparkly eyed 73 year old adventurer.

When events led him to be homeless, he spryly took the bus to visit friends stayed with his daughter, and resided with his life-long "brother from another mother" Jim Caslmon, of Northport, Michigan.

He was an inventor, a helper, an observer, and had a way with words.

His work with addiction and recovery spanned 3 decades. Teaching Impact Weekend courses was a great thrill and a deeply satisfying job to him. He loved talking with folks. He loved the moment people realized the roles addiction played in their lives. He was involved in AA for over 30 years.

He remained clean and sober, despite working with medical marijuana until his cancer diagnosis, when he began a protocol of taking Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) which was the only medication he took from the winter of 2014 until he passed.

He'd been making RSO prior to his use of it, even then driving several hours to get medicine to a patient downstate who found it helpful for her MS, or driving a hundred miles to the UP to make sure a patient with Parkinson's had what he needed to relax, and get some decent sleep.

He loved growing, harvesting, and sharing medicine. He developed his own topical pain relief balm, and had ideas for others. He was always dwelling in the world of ideas, and he loved to discuss them.

He was a staunch mystic. He was a Southern Baptist bible college drop out. He loved talking religion, or the bible, or spirituality with just about anyone.

That's just who he was.

Delightful, a little befuddling, and funny.

He died of typical elder male stubbornness and a fierce refusal of medical intervention. Cancer had some part in it as well.

At the end of his life he found ways to make peace with those around him, by way of gentle apologies and thoughtful soul searching. If you were owed an apology from him, please consider this it. He loved you. He loved all of us.

He died just as he said he would, "I'll be walking around one day, and gone the next." He and his ex-wife, Sheryl went to yard sales on Friday - always looking for treasure - , and by Sunday morning he was gone.

He wasn't perfect, and some may have hard feelings left for him, but all he wanted was love, sometimes in challenging ways, but it was always love he wanted.

If we can, let us love a little better, try a little harder, remain in touch with our dreams, and lay in a hammock with immeasurable gratitude for what a miracle all of this is.

The last thing he said was that his heart was at peace, and he pointed at his chest "KEEPING your heart at peace, that's your JOB.

He was always supportive of the LGBTQ community, Donations can be made in his honor to Up North Pride. P.O. Box 909 Traverse City, MI 49685

He was preceded in death by his adoptive parents, Donald and Clara Cameron, his beloved birth father Art Crain, and sister April Crain.

He is survived by his mother, Audrey (Schantz) Crain, his daughter, and daughter-in-law Elon and Jenn Cameron, his birth daughter, Staci Sturges (Peter Young), her son Grayson Lugue, his siblings Randy Crain (Beth Miller), Airlia (Charley) Jarvis, and Kevin (Janie Flannigan) Crain, and Mike "Lefty" Forcier

His Celebration of life service will be held at The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, Sunday July 17th at 2pm. Please visit www.lifestorytc.com to sign the guest book and share a message with his family. The family chose Life Story Funeral Home, Traverse City.