Veteran Entrepreneur Colonel Stephen S. McCampbell Dies at 81

Colonel Stephen S. McCampbell (Retired USAF Reserves), an entrepreneur and veteran, passed away on June 8th, 2026, at the age of 81, after a fall that resulted in a fatal coma.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, but raised on his family farm outside Cincinnati until he was eight years old, McCampbell's life took a tough turn after his parents' divorce. He then moved to various locations throughout his youth and attended different schools, eventually graduating Valedictorian of his class while working multiple jobs.

He enlisted in the Air Force and served in Vietnam, later transitioning to the Reserves, where he rose to the rank of Colonel and retired in 1992. During this time, he also worked for IBM in Manhattan, selling mainframe computers to Merrill Lynch.

McCampbell's entrepreneurial spirit led him to start several successful businesses, including Compu-Fix Inc., which became one of the largest computer repair centers in New Mexico, and More Inc., a company that developed one of the first image-based teller systems in the US. He also co-founded Fat Tire Cycles, which he sold after 26 years.