Angela Campbell, who rose from a receptionist to the publisher of the Jacksonville Daily Record, has died.
She was 49.
The Daily Record was notified June 25 that Campbell had died late that morning at her home in Springfield.
Campbell was named publisher in January 2022, completing a 25-year rise in the company that began when she was hired as a receptionist at age 20.
After advancing into legal advertising, circulation and classified advertising, she became former Daily Record owner James F. Bailey Jr.’s executive assistant.
That position led Campbell, who went by Angie, to another promotion as business manager. She incorporated that position into her role as publisher.
“Angie was much loved by our team in Jacksonville, her OMG colleagues and everyone who knew her in the Jacksonville business community,” said Matt Walsh, owner of the Daily Record and CEO of its parent company, the Observer Media Group. “She was always a source of positive, can-do energy. Her hearty laugh was infectious.”
Campbell was the fifth publisher in the Daily Record’s 116-year history.
She was involved in such community organizations as the JAX Chamber Downtown Council, for which she served as president, Jacksonville Business Professionals and Leadership Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Campbell died in what it characterized as an apparent suicide.
She is survived by her husband, Christopher, a retired corrections officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office; a son, Kyle, and his spouse, Sierra; a daughter, Kennedy; and one grandchild, Carter, who is Kyle’s son.
The Campbells celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in May 2026.
Kyle Campbell and Sierra Walsh were married two months earlier.
Angela Campbell was preceded in death by her mother, Darlene Briggs, who died at 74 on May 7, 2026.
Her family moved to Jacksonville when she was 4 years old. They lived in Arlington, where Campbell attended Terry Parker High School.
She moved with friends to the Midwest after graduation but returned to Jacksonville a few years later in 1997.
“You don’t realize how much you love Jacksonville until you are someplace else,” she said in a story announcing her appointment as publisher.
As publisher, Campbell succeeded founder John McManus, James F. Bailey Sr., James F. Bailey Jr. and Walsh.
Publisher emeritus James Bailey Jr. recalled Campbell for her ability to learn new tasks and accomplish them expertly.
“I hired Angie to be my receptionist when she was 20 years old even though she didn’t have any experience working in an office. She later became my assistant and then the company’s business manager,” he said.
“She took on every job and did it right every time — sometimes better than I had been doing it for more than 20 years. Angie changed the way I was able to run the business. She would always say that I gave her a chance, but the fact is she gave me and the company the chance to do everything we did.”
Editor's notes: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
Daily Record Associate Editor for Legal Affairs Max Marbut contributed information to this story.