OBITUARY
Louis Richard “Lou” Camelbeek, 79, of San Angelo went to be with the Lord on January 4, 2026, in San Angelo, TX.
Lou was born in Manchester, NH on July 30th, 1946. He was raised mostly in Hudson and Livingston, NY. He attended St. Mary’s Academy in Hudson, NY and Siena College in Loudonville, NY.
Lou worked various jobs as a fruit picker on several farms including his grandparents’ farm, as well as a stockboy at a Grand Union grocery store in Hudson. Lou also spent several years as a night auditor and bartender at the Hotel St. Charles in Hudson and at the Universal Atlas Cement factor. He also served as a counselor at the Stratton Mountain Boy Scout Reservation in Stratton, VT.
Lou met Sharon Hoffman in 1951 in Kindergarten at St. Mary’s. He never noticed her until 1962 at her 16th birthday party. He fell in love with her that night and that love grew constantly through the years. That night, he told himself, “I’m going to marry that girl.”
Lou enlisted in the United States Army on November 14, 1967. He went through basic training at Ft. Dix, NJ and then went to the Defense Language Institute at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. Lou and Sharon wrote to each other, but the relationship was very casual. Until one day, she called and said, “Do you want to get married on July 6?” That made the rest of his life a total joy.
They had three wonderful daughters, Angela, Lynn and Brigitte and were happily married for the next 55 years. Sharon passed away on June 14, 2023.
Lou was the proudest of their three daughters and eternal love for Sharon. He was also just as proud of his grandchildren, Mikel, Breanna, Donnavan, Sean and Damien, and great grandchildren, Emmy, Presley, Sylas and Parker He was preceded in death by his great grandchildren by Nathanial and Alana.
Lou was extremely proud of achieving Eagle Scout honors in 1962 and serving honorably in the United States Army. During his time in the U.S. Army, he studied the Vietnamese language and then served a tour in Vietnam as an interpreter/translator.
He went on to work for the Texas Department of Public Safety in San Angelo, served as a patrol officer for the San Angelo Police Department, worked two years at the San Angelo State School and then finally returned to law enforcement in 1981 as a patrol deputy with the Tom Green County Sheriff’s office. After a few years, he advanced to detective/investigator for the rest of his career.
He left this life fully happy with all his accomplishments and would not change any of them. He was looking forward to being reunited with Sharon for their planned eternity together.
There will be a rosary vigil at 10 a.m., Monday, January 19, at Holy Angels Catholic Church with a funeral mass to follow beginning at 10:30 a.m. Inurnment will take place on a later date at The Gerald B. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, NY.
In lieu of flowers, he would like memorials to be made to the American Cancer Society, the Diabetes Foundation, Meals for the Elderly, The San Angelo Women’s Shelter or Holy Angels Catholic Church.
— From Harper Funeral Home
