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Ball State Fiji dies in Thanksgiving crash
Valpo native dies in car accident
Family remembers Ball State student as someone who 'cared about everyone'
Saturday, November 27, 2004 12:28 AM CST
A Valparaiso High School graduate who was in his sophomore year at Ball State University was killed Wednesday in a crash while returning to Valparaiso for Thanksgiving break.
Charles "Joe" Camp, 20, of Valparaiso, died after his 1994 Chevrolet Blazer struck a semitrailer on westbound U.S. 30 in the Plymouth area.
Camp was on his way to Valparaiso to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, said his aunt, Carol Birs. She described Camp as a "very loving child" who "cared about everyone." His final good deed was the donation of his organs.
"Even though we had a horrible Thanksgiving, maybe Joe's gifts will bring thanks to other families," said his father, Charles Camp.
"He will live on."
The crash occurred at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday on U.S. 30, at King Road. The Marshall County Sheriff's Department said Camp, who was westbound on U.S. 30, came upon a red light. Police said his vehicle slid on the wet roadway and passed under the trailer. Camp, who suffered head injuries, was pronounced dead Thursday at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, his family said.
Camp's parents said Camp, who visited Japan in 2001, was studying Japanese at Ball State and planned to teach English to Japanese students.
Camp participated in football, swimming, and track and field in high school and loved hanging out with his friends, his family said. He was active in Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at Ball State and enjoyed playing video games, playing guitar and making documentary movies. His mother said he was a defender of the underdog, a person who always seemed older and more purposeful. When he was in second grade, he organized a coat and blanket drive for homeless men in Gary. Camp once said he stayed with football even though he wasn't a starter because he felt his work in practice made his more talented teammates stronger.
"He was just an unbelievable kid," said his mother, Debbie Camp.
"We were very blessed 20 years to have him."
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