Cammie Neumann

Ann (Cammie) Cameron Neumann, beloved mother, grandmother, wife, lawyer, and all-around enthusiast, died on December 1, 2022 at age 77. 

Cammie made a mark on so many because she was genuinely interested in the lives and pursuits of others.  She forged meaningful friendships that centered around her diverse interests in music, books, horses, dogs, nature, theater, travel, and politics.  Her warmth, graciousness, and caring resulted in numerous life-long friendships that she valued deeply. Cammie was known for her wonderful sense of humor, quick wit, warm laugh, and ability to enjoy the jokes of others.

Central in her life was her deep love of her husband Andy Watson whom she met in 1978. Finding an instant attachment, they embarked immediately after they met on a somewhat scandalous canoe trip in the Boundary Waters.  Their bond became an enduring 45-year marriage and partnership based on the deepest friendship. Their beloved daughter Andrea strengthened this family bond, and the three of them spent a lifetime of adventures together. Cammie was overjoyed to welcome her granddaughter, Eleanor.

Cammie was driven by her bottomless curiosity and enthusiasm, which led her to pursue a myriad of activities and adventures.  She was truly a bibliophile, and shared her love of fiction with many friends, starting book clubs and volunteering for the Tucson Festival of Books.   She insisted on “supporting the authors” by buying books and then was quick to pass them on to friends or libraries so others could enjoy them free of cost.  She firmly lived by the moto that “life was too short for bad books” and knew her life (or any life) would be too short to read all the good books in the world. Nonetheless, she made a good effort at it: she strived to read all the Booker-prize short-listed books each year and as many of the New York Times Best Books of the Year as she could.

Cammie’s love of books is perhaps only rivaled by her love of nature.  She was not an armchair nature enthusiast but more of an explorer.  She and Andy traveled the world hiking and exploring in the Himalaya (Nepal, Bhutan), and trails and mountains in Italy, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Patagonia, the Andes, the Galapagos, and thoroughly in their own backyards in Tucson and Jackson Hole. A true athlete, she explored winter wonderlands around the world as a skilled skier who continued to grow her abilities well into her 70s in Jackson Hole’s Race Camp.  She was an outstanding tennis player and golfer known for her long drives.

One of her passions was animals which manifested in a life-long love of horses, which she viewed as kind, stoic, and great teachers to their human companions.  Her kindness toward animals must have been apparent to the animal kingdom because one of her canine companions, Zelda, walked in off the street and chose Cammie (and figured Cammie would find good homes for her soon to be born puppies…which, of course, Cammie did!).  In addition to Zelda, there was Pogo, Spot, Gacho and Zorro all of whom were as passionate about Cammie as she was about them. Birdwatching, banding swans, feeding magpies in winter and hummingbirds in summer, were extensions of her passion for animals.  One of her many legacies will be her generous donations to protect and preserve wild places for generations to come.   

Cammie loved children and children loved Cammie.  She saved her most playful heart for the youngest, being a teacher and companion to her nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and her sole granddaughter Eleanor.  Indeed, Cammie’s legacy of passion for ice cream and root beer floats is safe in Eleanor’s hands. 

Cammie had spine, clarity of language, and conviction.  She made her mark early as a strong debater on Bellevue High’s debate team.  She spent several years teaching middle school English before returning to law school. No one was surprised that Cammie’s intelligence, curiosity, and sound judgment made her a fantastic lawyer.  Innovative and resourceful, Cammie’s career was multifaceted. She first specialized in domestic relations, followed by becoming one of the early experts in intellectual property and then managed litigation on behalf of a major insurer.   She taught many around her to stand-up for one’s beliefs and values and put action behind those beliefs. She passed her conviction, strength, and independence to her daughter Andrea who calls on it daily and strives to continue Cammie’s legacy in how she raises Cammie’s granddaughter, Eleanor.

As Cammie grew older, she actively focused on staying open-minded, living an empathetic life, living her values, and leaving a legacy that represented her love of nature and art. 

Cammie was born on April 8, 1945, in Bellevue, WA to Lenore and Cameron (Kay) Neumann. She attended Bellevue High School, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington where she was an active Kappa Kappa Gamma, received her master’s degree from Oregon State in English Literature and JD from Whittier College of Law.  As an adult she lived in Weston, MA; Malibu and Calabasas, CA; Wilson Wy; and Tucson, AZ.  She is survived by her husband Andy, daughter Andrea, granddaughter Eleanor, and brothers Gary and Marc.