Joan Rejholec Campbell was known in local dog-lovers’ circles as the expert on shelties.
Campbell, who died July 5 after a brief illness, owned a kennel on South Broadway for years and later one on South Lima Street in Aurora. She was 89.
Campbell started working in a kennel in England when she was 15. She had dropped out of school because she was having trouble in classes, due to brain damage she had suffered as a child when a car ran over her, said a longtime friend, Ann Campbell (no relation) of Denver.
Though she had trouble with writing and speech the rest of her life, she had no trouble training dogs and teaching others to train them.
“She taught me everything I know about shelties,” said Ann Campbell, a sheltie owner.
Joan Campbell loved shelties because of their beauty and their devotion to their owners, said Jan Leonard, of Arapahoe County, who worked for Campbell as a child. The dogs were also a suitable size for Campbell, who was never taller than 5 feet 2 inches and weighed about 90 pounds.
In addition to training dogs owned by other people, Campbell owned the first sheltie ever to win three Best in Show Awards. She was also a show judge.
Joan Campbell “was a character,” said Leonard, now in her 60s and a sheltie owner.
“She loved to wear animal prints, had rugs and towels with animal prints, and carried a huge bag with everything in it. And she never could find anything.”
Joan Smith was born in Stamford, England, on April 11, 1917. She was 8 years old when she was out with her nanny and darted across the street to see a flower cart, said Ann Campbell. A car struck her and she was severely injured. After months of therapy she learned to walk again and even performed ballet.
She served in the WRENS, the Women’s Royal Naval Service. While in the service she met Gus Poulos, a military medic. They moved to the U.S. in 1946.
After his death she married Otto Rejholec and they established the kennel in Aurora. After his death, she married Jack Campbell. He also preceded her in death.
In addition to shelties, Joan Campbell loved flowers and gardening.
For Christmas gifts she usually gave flowers she had raised, said Leonard. Among the many flowers in her garden, one of her favorites was the crocus, the flower on that cart that had caught her eye when she was 8.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at 303-820-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com.
