PRINCETON, Ill. (KWQC) – A well-known man in the Princeton community was killed Friday in a crash, and his wife and son were airlifted to a Rockford hospital with serious injuries.
It happened just north of Ottawa when he left a holiday basketball tournament with his wife, daughter and son.
On Saturday, daughter Alexis Camp told KWQC that her father, 58-year-old David Camp of Princeton, Illinois, was the man killed.
The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office has not said what caused the crash but did say the Illinois State Police Reconstruction Team is assisting their investigation.
Whether it was competing in a bowling tournament, coaching youth sports teams, or simply venting about the Chicago Bears, David was a notable figure in the Princeton community.
And now, he’s being remembered by all the lives he touched before his tragic death on the day after Thanksgiving.
On a cold and snowy afternoon at the Pin Splitter Lanes bowling alley in Princeton, friends and family gathered to share memories they had with David, just days after his tragic death.
One of many who gathered at the bowling alley was David’s best friend, and fellow bowling teammate, Doug Gimbal.
“How do you react to something like that? Just devastating,” Gimbal said. “I was just texting him Thursday.”
While processing the grief, Gimbal recalls memories they shared, including a road trip where Doug got his first speeding ticket while David was fast asleep in the passenger seat.
“He always told me, after that, ‘well if your co-pilot would have been awake,’ he goes, ‘you never would have got that ticket,’” Gimbal said.
David’s daughter, Alexis, survived the crash without injuries, but the pain of losing her father is felt, and to cope, she is also reflecting on memories as well, particularly one when she was cheerleading.
“At one of the football games, he came down on the track and was doing the cheers with us,” Alexis said. “He was always the loudest ‘woo’ that we could hear, so that is going to be a memory for me.”
Beyond being a husband and father, David touched many lives across Princeton, and the broader Illinois Valley, as a friendly and familiar face in the community. A friend, coach and mentor.
“He was always the first person to check in on someone if they lost someone or if they just were sick,” Alexis said. “Or it would be like the smallest thing, but my dad was there.”
Gimbal sums up the legacy of David in a few words:
“He’s a family man,” Gimbal said. “Bowling, friends and always up for a good laugh and a good time.”
As of Monday, there have not been any funeral arrangements set for David, as the family waits for his wife, Melinda, and son, Michael, to return home from the hospital in Rockford.
Alexis told KWQC the family is preparing their home for the return of Melinda after she is released from the hospital Tuesday.
She says her brother Michael should return home next week, but both face a long road ahead for a full recovery.
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