Stroud J. Camfield

STROUD JORDAN “S.J.” CAMFIELD

When S.J. was around, you knew you were going to laugh.
Whether he was railing on some rival of his beloved Florida State Seminoles, giving
other golfers guff about their game, smack talking on a basketball court, cracking jokes, mixing
drinks, sharing ‘70s rock videos, or making light of things that were bringing people down, he
always was the life of family gatherings, the guy everyone wanted to hang with after dinner.
Stroud Jordan “S.J.” Camfield was diagnosed with cancer late last year, and continued
working at Beverly Hills Cafe in Cooper City. He never complained.

He died in his sleep, in his home in Tamarac, on April 10.
He was 62.

“He was brilliant, mischievous, fun-loving, even as a little boy,” said his older sister,
Clarissa Thomasson. As a toddler, he tried to crawl through a missing stone in a wall and got
stuck by his diaper. In elementary school, he and a buddy took all the bricks out of a neighbor’s
pond to free the fish. Through his years at Coral Gables High, he drove the kiddie train at the old
Crandon Park Zoo. When his dad died, when he was still at Florida State, S.J. moved back to
Miami to help his mom and younger brother.

“He was the best brother I could ever ask for, always looking out for me and praising me
behind my back,” said Gray Camfield, who is three years younger. “He had a memory like an
elephant, and made people laugh at even the most serious topics or, oddly, laugh at themselves.
He never cried. Even in the throes of cancer pain, he said, ‘I got this.’”
For some reason, an inside joke, S.J. and Gray called each other “Fish.” “I’ll remember
him with a drink in hand calling, ‘Hey, Fish!’ loudly and happily across the room, while Gray
hollered, ‘Fish!’ back,” said their niece, Amie Thomasson. “Never knew what it meant, but it
showed such love, and joy in each others’ company. They looked after each other until the end.”
Jorge Fernandez, S.J.’s closest friend, also supported him and cared for him through good
and tough times.

S.J. is survived by sisters Clarissa Thomasson, of Venice, FL and Valerie Baumbach, of
Atlanta, GA; brother Gray Camfield of Melbourne, FL; six nieces and nephews and a dozen
great nieces and nephews. A service celebrating his life will be held at a later date.

To leave condolences or comments on the funeral home webpage, go to:  https://www.serenityfla.com/