A Memorial To Ernest Ramirez Campos
S1c, Plank Owner, USS OAKLAND CL-95
United States Navy World War II


Ernest Jr. - Leonard - Ernest Sr. - Margarita



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Dear Sir,

My father served on the USS Oakland during WWII. His name is misspelled on the
roster. I would appreciate it if you could please correct it. His name was Ernest Ramirez
Campos. He passed away last October 24, 2002 of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He would
have been 89 years old in 2 months. He was in such good health prior to his diagnosis 3
months before he died. He always thought about the USS Oakland. He would have loved
this site and the new home of the USS Oakland.

He was very proud of his familly members currently serving in the U S Navy. He had a
niece who has 3 sons in the Navy. Two are Chiefs and her youngest just became an
officer this yr. My dad also had a nephew who has 2 sons who are Petty Officers
stationed in San Diego. My dad was especially proud of his grandson, who became a
Navy SEAL last month. He had tears in his eyes when he saw my son in his blues in Jan
'02 and his whites in Aug '02 (two months before my dad passed away). He would have
loved to have seen his grandson's Navy Trident!

Sincerely,
Mrs Margarita (Campos) Lopez



Dear Margarita,

You touch my heart with all the sad news about your father and the wonderful news
about the family. Without your help supplying the information and images I would not
have been able to create this Memorial. You and the family now have a place to visit
when you are seeking closure in the years ahead.

Creating this Memorial is the least that I could do for my old shipmate and his family.
You said that he would have loved to have seen his grandson's Navy Trident! I have
inserted them here so everyone can see them. I know that Ernest has tears in his eyes
and a big smile on face showing his pride for his grandson accomplishments.

Navy Seal Trident                        Navy Basic Parachutist Wings

Paul D. Henriott, CWO, USA, Retired
Webmaster of the USS Oakland website
USS OAKLAND CL-95


A Memorial to

Ernest Ramirez Campos
12/26/1915 - 10/24/2002

Our father, Ernest Ramirez Campos, was born on December 26, 1914. He passed
away October 24, 2002 in Houston, Texas. He was diagnosed with Acute Myloid
Leukemia in June. He was in excellent health prior to his illness. He fought a good
fight and was ready to meet his Lord.

He was very proud to serve on the USS Oakland. He kept a picture of the ship on his
bedroom wall. He would have loved this site and the new home of the USS Oakland.
He had two brothers who served in the Navy and two brothers who served in the
Marines during WWII. He was married and had a two year old son, Leonard, when he
joined the Navy. Our sister, Rachel, was born when he was overseas. He came back to
Houston to a very happy wife, son and a brand new beautiful baby girl. They had two
more children, Margaret and Ernest Jr.

Our Dad worked for Rheem Air Conditioning Company and retired from the City of
Houston Parks Department. He loved traveling and the outdoors, especially tending to
his acre of land. He was a Bible teacher and deacon in several churches and loved to
sing in church choirs. He was very devoted to his family and His Lord. He was a man
of great faith. He was 1 of 12 children born to his parents who were from Mexico. He
He taught himself how to speak English by reading a Bible that was given to him by a
church, when he was a young shoeshine boy. He loved reading, especially reading and
studying the Bible every night. Our greatest memory of him will be of him kneeling by
the side of the bed, each and every night, praying for the safety of his family and his
country.

He was married to our mother for almost 49 years. They have seven grandchildren
and seven great grandchildren. A new baby boy great grandson is due next month. They
encouraged all four of their children to attend a university and receive degrees. How
proud they would be to know all of grandchildren have continued their dream of
education. The older grandchildren attended and graduated from different universities

One grandaughter, Rachel Lopez, has just received a Masters Degree and is pursuing a
Doctoral Degree in Music. The youngest grandson, Mark Campos, is graduating from
high school next year and will be attending a university. The great grandchildren will
continue the tradition! Thank you so much for this memorial. We dearly miss our
beloved father, mother and sister, Rachel Harbour. We appreciate all your hard work in
honoring the brave men who served on the USS Oakland.

May God richly bless you for your thoughtfulness,

The Ernest Ramirez Campos Family



Wife and Mother

Ernest and Mary Jane (Mason) Campos
Mary died April 1989





 
The Children




Ernest Campos Jr.



Leonard Campos



Margarita (Campos) Lopez



Rachel Viola (Campos) Harbor
Died July 1998


The Grandchildren

Gerald Campos
James Campos
Mark Campos
Michael Harbor
Norman Lopez
Rachel Lopez
Laura Meeker


The Great Grandchildren

Jordan Campos
MaryCatherine Campos
Michael Campos
RoseMarie Campos
Abigail Meeker
Hannah Meeker
Madeline Meeker

  

May they rest in peace!

FROM THE OFFICERS AND CREW
OF USS OAKLAND CL-95


SO PROUDLY WE SERVED





This Web Page was created by and
is maintained by Paul D.Henriott.
Last updated 26 March 2006