Edward Carleton Camp, 66, from Flippin, Arkansas
Edward Carleton Camp, 66, from Flippin, Arkansas passed away on September 5, 2026, at Hospice of the Ozarks in Mountain Home, Arkansas, one day after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Born October 21, 1959, in Ames, Iowa, to Roger Carleton Camp and Shirley Marie Pickett.
Ed wrestled at Ames High School and earned an associate degree from Hawaii Loa College in 1985. He was an artist, inventor, and lifelong maker, Ed lived an unconventional and vibrant life. He resided in Oahu, Hawaii, and San Luis Obispo, California, before buying a VW bus and driving through Belize to Honduras, where he made Utila his home for decades. There, he co-parented his daughter, Lia Nelly Camp, with fellow painter Sonia Ribeiro, worked as an artist and scuba instructor, and created Reptile Gardens Mini Golf & Bar, which he designed, built, and painted himself. The ocean was a lifelong source of inspiration for Ed. His passion was the Swim Fin, an idea he began developing in 1977 and pursued for decades through human-powered water propulsion inventions intended to help people swim faster. He was also a talented painter, sculptor, builder, writer, and illustrator, creating works such as the graphic novel Neptoid and Soupline at the FEMA Honor Camp. His guiding philosophy was simple: “I’ll make it myself.”
Ed is survived by his daughter, Lia Nelly Camp; his father, Roger Carleton Camp; his brother, Alan David Camp; and his sister, Anne Elizabeth Camp. He was preceded in death by his mother, Shirley Marie Pickett. Ed will be cremated, and no formal service is planned, reflecting a life and community spread across the United States, Honduras, and beyond. His ashes will remain with his family, with the hope that some will one day return to Utila, the island he called home for much of his life.
