In memoriam of Marc Ashley Cameron

The roofing industry mourns the loss of a husband, father and friend.

Marc Ashley Cameron, of Manhattan, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly on September 24, 2026, at the age of 50. His passing came far too soon, leaving an immeasurable absence in the lives of his family, friends and the many people fortunate enough to know and be influenced by him.

He was born November 2, 1975, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Michael Allen Cameron and Phyllis Ann Maynard Cameron. He was raised in the Kansas City area and shared an especially deep and enduring bond with his mother, Phyllis, who remained a constant source of love, support and connection throughout his life. His love of soccer began early, with his father, Michael, coaching him for many years and helping foster a passion that would stay with him throughout his life. He graduated from Winnetonka High School as a standout regional soccer player and went on to Baker University, where he played soccer, was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Beta Tau Chapter and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Soccer remained woven throughout his life, giving him competition, a sense of belonging and lifelong friendships that extended well beyond the field. Years later, it also gave him the opportunity to pass on to his own son what his father had once given him. Soccer gave him something even more important, too: it was across a soccer field that he first spotted Monica Lynne Gwaltney. What began with a glance across that field grew into an extraordinary love story, 24 years of marriage and a family that became the center of his world.

Marc and Monica built a life filled with love, laughter, adventure and three children of whom he could not have been more proud: Cade Ashley Cameron, 21, of Manhattan, Kansas; Meagan Maxine Cameron, 18, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Mikaela June Cameron, 16, of New York, New York. Being their father was his greatest joy and proudest accomplishment, but to Monica, Cade, Meagan and Mikaela, he was far more than a husband and father. He was their rock. He was the steady presence they turned to for advice, perspective, reassurance, laughter and strength. He carried burdens when they were heavy, celebrated every success and made sure they knew they never faced life alone.

He loved his family deeply and without reservation. He believed fiercely in his children and invested himself fully in the things that mattered to them, the practices, games, performances, celebrations, disappointments, travels, conversations and ordinary moments in between. For Monica, he was her partner, best friend, constant and the person with whom she built a life and family. Their marriage held the history of growing together, raising children, building careers, traveling, laughing, worrying, dreaming and facing life side by side. They knew one another deeply, and the life they created together was his greatest source of meaning.

With Cade, soccer became something shared across generations. He spent countless hours coaching, traveling, watching, teaching and standing on the sidelines, just as his own father had once done for him. His influence reached far beyond his son, and he became a mentor and fatherly presence to many young soccer players, offering encouragement, guidance, honesty and belief in them. When Meagan and Mikaela found their passion in ballet, he embraced their world just as completely. He became an enthusiastic and immensely proud ballet dad, learning, traveling, watching, encouraging and supporting the dreams his daughters worked so hard to pursue. Along the way, dancers and families from across the country and around the world became part of his life, and young dancers far from home often found in him someone who welcomed them, cheered for them and genuinely cared about them.

That was Marc. He did not simply support the things his children loved; he learned to love them too. Through his children, his circle grew, and his lasting impact extended to the many young people who experienced his mentorship, humor, generosity, advice and unmistakable pride in seeing them succeed. The same was true of his extended family. He deeply valued his parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins and the many extended family members who shared so much of life with him. He showed up, celebrated with them, worried about them, made them laugh and made sure they knew they mattered.

He began his professional career with Bliss Associates in Kansas City as a commercial appraiser before building a long career in the roofing and solar industries. He held leadership roles with Diamond Roofing, helped build Diamond Solar Solutions alongside Monica and most recently served as Energy Operations Manager for Weddle and Sons Roofing in Manhattan, where he valued the people he worked with and the relationships they built together. Throughout his career, he was actively involved with the National Roofing Contractors Association, but more than any title, position or professional affiliation, he treasured the people he met through his work, the colleagues, partners, customers and friends who became part of his life.

Titles and professional accomplishments, however, were never the fullest measure of his life. His true legacy is found in relationships: in the soccer player who remembers something Coach Marc told him; the dancer far from home who knew a familiar and encouraging face was waiting; the colleague who sought his advice; the friend who remembers his stories and laugh; and the family dinners, international trips, soccer games, ballet performances, celebrations, inside jokes, long conversations and ordinary days together that now feel anything but ordinary.

Most of all, his legacy lives in Monica, Cade, Meagan and Mikaela. He was the steady center of their family, the father who believed in his children and the husband who built a life beside Monica and loved the family they created with his whole heart. He was the person they could lean on, laugh with, argue with, ask for advice, travel with, celebrate with and simply be themselves around. His absence changes everything because his presence had been woven into everything.

Marc once wrote to Monica that she and the children made his life worth living, thanking them for believing in him, standing beside him and allowing him the privilege of loving and caring for them. Those words reflected the way he lived. His family was never simply one part of his life. They were his home, his purpose and his heart. And to them, he was the same. He was their rock. He was their home.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Monica Cameron; their children, Cade, Meagan and Mikaela; his beloved mother, Phyllis Cameron, with whom he shared a lifelong and deeply cherished bond; his mother-in-law, Patricia Caughron Gwaltney; his sister, Ann Marie Cannedy (Chad); his sisters-in-law, Laura Leigh Gwaltney, Andrea Michelle Platt (Ryan) and Jordan Esli Gwaltney; and his cherished nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins, extended family members and friends.

He is reunited in everlasting life with his father, Michael Allen Cameron; his father-in-law, Dwight L. “Rick” Gwaltney III; and his brother-in-law, Kevin Dwight Gwaltney, Jordan’s late husband.

His death leaves the painful knowledge that there should have been so much more, more birthdays, holidays, soccer games, ballet performances, family trips, milestones, conversations, laughter and ordinary days together. Alongside that heartbreak is profound gratitude for the 50 years he was here, the 24 years of marriage he shared with Monica, the family they created together, the countless memories and every person fortunate enough to experience his friendship, guidance, humor, encouragement and love.

His love will continue through Monica, Cade, Meagan and Mikaela; through his mother and extended family; through every soccer player he encouraged, every dancer he cheered for, every person he mentored and every friend whose life was richer because he was part of it.

Marc’s life was far too short, but the love he gave was not. His greatest legacy will always be the people he loved, the people he believed in and the lives that are different because he was here.

Please join Marc’s family in honoring and celebrating his life on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 612 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas. Following the service, family and friends will gather at the Flint Hills Scenic Overlook to share memories and celebrate his life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his honor to the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School Education Department  or the Baker University Soccer Program.

Arrangements are in the care of Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502.