Harold Dietsch Ocamb, Jr.

Harold (Homer) Ocamb was born on July 20, 1928, in McCook, Neb. His father, Harold Sr., worked in the Ocamb family store in Rulo, Neb., and his mother, Mabel Dressler Ocamb, was a schoolteacher. Doris, his younger sister, was born three years later. 

  When he was in elementary school, Homer’s family relocated to Denver in search of greater opportunity. He was a member of the Highlanders in childhood and grew up enjoying outdoor activities.

Subsequent to a bout of rheumatic fever, Homer spent two summers in Wyoming to benefit his health. Working as a hand on the Salisbury Ranch, he learned to ride horses, manage cattle, and sleep out on the prairie; he thoroughly enjoyed fishing for trout in the high streams. He was often the employee sent on errands to town because his bosses knew he wouldn’t “get into trouble.”

    Homer attended South High School in Denver and graduated a semester early so he could enlist in the Navy during the final months of WWII. After the war ended and he returned to Colorado, he attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. It was there that he met his future wife, Jananne Barbara Hilton, during a ski excursion. They courted during their college years in Boulder and were married on December 16, 1951, at the Methodist Church that was a block from the Ocamb family home in Denver. Homer attended medical school on the G.I. bill while Jananne worked as a medical technician. Their first child, Andrea Lea, was born on February 16, 1953.

    Homer and Jananne had relocated to Michigan by 1955, where Homer began working as a surgical resident at Detroit Receiving Hospital. During that time, he was mentioned in an article published in the Detroit Free Press when his team was instrumental in saving the life of a Detroit City policeman who had a heart attack on duty. 

Initially drawn to Michigan by the beauty of the landscape, “the greenness,” Homer would exclaim later in his life, and deciding that they liked the Midwest, Homer and his wife chose to stay in Michigan and raise their expanding family there. Katherine Ann, Michael Shorey, Cynthia Marie, and David Dressler Ocamb were all born in Michigan.

    Settling in the small town of Tecumseh, the Ocambs lived in the Ketchum House, a very old property that was once a stagecoach stop on the main road through town. The house was built before 1825, and the local town historian believed it was one of the oldest buildings in the community. The Ocamb kids grew up in the home as Homer and Jananne restored the house and created a vast yard filled with trees, flowers, and vegetables. 

Homer kept bees and periodically banned jams, jellies, and syrup from the breakfast table due to an excess of honey produced by his hives. His sourdough pancakes were a weekend treat for the family. Wonderful family dinners took place around the large table in the dining room, and his children remember the long Sunday dinners with great nostalgia.

   Homer and Jananne were avid readers and took the children to the local library from the time they were very young. All five grew up to attend college and pursue professional careers. Homer also taught his three daughters how to do things that were often regarded as traditionally masculine. Each girl learned how to chop wood, drive a tractor, fish, and shoot guns. 

Homer was a gun enthusiast, owning everything from a muzzle-loader to modern rifles. He cast his own bullets and loaded ammunition in the basement. The girls were not big on hunting, but his sons went out into the woods and hunted deer with him; venison was a family favorite. Homer and Jananne were very adventurous in the food they served in the home, often to the dismay of a visiting child who dropped in at the wrong moment and was firmly invited by Homer to dine with the family.

During the years spent in Michigan, Homer made time during his extremely busy medical practice to serve on the school board, play tennis and enjoy snowmobiling with his family, and travel when he had the opportunity, especially to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After living in Tecumseh for many years, Homer and Jananne decided to relocate to Williamston, N.C., a place they often passed through on trips to the Outer Banks. They liked the milder climate and access to great fishing. David, the youngest of the Ocamb brood, graduated from Williamston High School.

Homer was very involved in the local community, serving on the board of the local Methodist Church and singing in the choir. As a member of the men’s Bible study group, he caused a few comments when he devoted one session to a lesson on evolution. He was active in the local theater group, and his favorite performances were probably the lead in Mark Twain Tonight and his role as one of the fathers in The Fantasticks.

    After several years of medical practice in Williamston, Homer again decided to make a change. He re-enlisted in the Navy and served ten additional years as a medical officer and surgeon, spending time in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He was stationed on Marine bases and aircraft carriers as well as on smaller ships, and was promoted to the rank of captain. He received an official commendation after doing the medical planning for the first Gulf War. When he retired, he was the oldest person on active duty in the U.S. Navy.

    After returning to civilian life, Homer went back to school, something seniors could do for free in North Carolina. He earned the equivalent of a master’s degree in archeology and spent several summers working on local digs with crews from East Carolina University.

    In his retirement years, Homer was an avid fly fisherman, a sport that was atypical in that very rural part of North Carolina. He was well known on the local rivers for his “unusual” style of fishing, and he taught that sport to his children, particularly Andrea, his eldest. As a schoolteacher, she had summers off and spent extended periods visiting her parents in North Carolina. They took trips together to Georgia, South Carolina, Oregon, and the Laguna Madre in Texas, all in pursuit of fishing adventures.

With his wife Jananne, Homer made several trips to the West Coast where two of his three daughters had settled, and good times were enjoyed by all.  

    Homer and Jananne lived in Williamston until the time of Jan’s death in an automobile collision which took her life and very nearly his. After a period of physical recovery, Homer moved to an apartment in Burlington, N.C., near the home of his second daughter. Because they lived only a few miles apart, Kathy was able to visit frequently and entertain Homer in her home. His other children remained in close contact and made trips to see him whenever possible, including several family gatherings during his final decade where Homer and his children would spend a week together on the Outer Banks.

   During the last months of his life, Homer moved in with his daughter Kathy. He was cared for very gently and with great love until he passed peacefully on February 25, 2025, at the age of 96.

    Homer was predeceased by his parents and sister, his wife, Jananne, and his son, Michael. He is survived by his children, Andrea Ocamb-Winters (William), Katherine Swanson (Kenneth), Cynthia, and David Ocamb (Cherie), as well as four grandchildren: Nicholas and Kelsey Swanson, and Olivia (Robbie Skinner) and Evan Ocamb.

Homer’s was a life well lived, and he will be greatly missed. Donations can be made in his memory to authoracare.org, the hospice organization that helped to make his final days comfortable. A memorial service will take place at the United Methodist Church in Williamston, N.C. in the fall.