The death of Elizabeth Turner Campbell of Scottsville was a huge loss for this area.

Campbell, who died Feb. 25 at age 68, was the daughter of Cal Turner Sr., founder of Dollar General.

She was well respected and passionate and did a lot for the city of Scottsville and beyond.

Her greatest legacy will no doubt be the creation of a camp for children with serious illnesses.

The idea for this camp came through her own experience of losing her son, Warren, at the age of 21 after a 17-year battle with cancer.

Campbell’s memories of Warren’s struggle with a life-threatening pediatric illness were the inspiration and motivation for the center. She wanted to create a place where very ill children could be with one another and focus on having fun.

The idea to build a medical camp to serve kids from Kentucky and Tennessee began late in the summer of 2004. Less than four years later, a multimillion dollar, top-notch medical camp was ready to open on her father’s farmland in Scottsville.

Since its opening, the Center for Courageous Kids has hosted more than 7,500 children and their families from all around the United States and Canada. The center is free to all who attend.

This camp has certainly come a long way since its conception and a lot of that has to do with Campbell’s vision, energy and financial support.

The center, which is open all year, offers two types of programs: 22 family weekend retreats where the entire family joins their child, as well as nine separate weeks of illness-specific summer camping sessions focused on the ill child.

Campbell was a lady who didn’t seek the limelight, an admirable trait.

While she stayed in the background, she was also very involved in what went on at the camp. Campbell would meet with the parents of the kids attending the camp to listen to their stories.

Campbell loved interacting with the kids and wanted all the attention focused on them, not her.

Those who knew her had the deepest respect and admiration for her.

The loss of Campbell is a sad ending to a story of a woman who did so much for kids in poor health during her time on this earth.

She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.