Dr. Malinda Schaill Campbell, PhD

Dr. Malinda Schaill Campbell, PhD, passed away on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at Mission Hospital, Asheville, NC. Her parents, Harold A. Schaill and Mary B. Schaill predeceased her. Surviving is her husband, Douglas C. Campbell.

Malinda was born on November 3, 1946 in Harvey, III. She was basically raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, but her father Harold “Hal” Schaill was an engineer whose job frequently required them to locate to other cities in the midwest. When a routine IQ test was given to the students at the Grosse Pointe high school, where she graduated, she scored an astonishing 160, placing her in the top .003 percent of the population. She completed her undergraduate A B degree at her father’s old alma mater, the University of Michigan, and then enrolled at Northwestern University earning her PhD in Economics after initially starting in Mathematics. She laughingly said her journey on that path came to a screeching halt when she came face to face with Quantum Physics.

Full of life and with an urge to explore this world, she accepted a position as an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Montana in Missoula where she exercised her free spirit by promptly joining a commune while teaching. After 4 years, she decided that certain aspects of academia weren’t for her after all. She sold her home and set out to explore South America, living in Ecuador, Peru and Columbia before deciding her next station in life would require her to return to the US to explore new career paths.

Malinda soon entered the world of banking where she quickly distinguished herself, eventually rising to become one of the Vice Presidents at Bank of America. She worked on Wall Street in New York as well as assignments in San Francisco and Miami in various management positions and as a foreign currency trader.

Finding herself at loose ends and tiring of banking after many years, she relocated to Asheville to be close to her aging parents, Hal and Mary who had retired to Asheville some years earlier. She acquired her Real Estate license and along with some consulting work from Bank of America teaching bank auditing, began to forge a new life. She sharpened her skills as a Wind Surfer and tennis player, soon acquiring several life-long friends, most notably fellow tennis enthusiast, Doug Campbell who was to become her husband. They married in 1991.

A gardener with passions in many aspects of horticulture, she enrolled in a program to become a NC Master Gardener. She soon took cues from her father Hal, who had been the President of The Botanical Gardens at Asheville in 1984, and who post-presidency, became the Publication Circulation manager. Malinda joined the garden’s Board of Directors in 1990, and soon rose to the position of President in 1993. She began to modernize the Finance Committee, to more professionally address the fiscal challenges that the burgeoning garden was now facing. She soon became the Treasurer, a position that she distinguished for twenty-six years, right up until her passing. Malinda’s vast knowledge, commitment, and profound generosity as treasurer and garden trustee, set the bar for volunteer civic engagement and investment in a non-profit. She was an admired and adored friend, colleague, and mentor of the garden.

A profound thank you to the staff at Mission Hospital and in particular, Physician Assistant Tobey Flores, Dr. Carter Wood and Dr. Trent Hester. The final journey is never easy but these exceptional caregivers, through their heartfelt support, compassion and knowledge, eased the burden. Thank you.

In accordance with her wishes, a private ceremony will be observed.