Leechburg man remembered as a pure soul who brought joy to family, friends, neighbors

Nancy Wickham nicknamed her son, Cameron, “the happy child.”

“I would often refer to him as the happy child,” said Wickham of Leechburg. “It was like the only state of emotion he was ever in. It was amazing. He loved people.”

About 10 years ago, the family moved from Ohio to the Alle-Kiski Valley, where Cameron immersed himself in the community. Diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, he found in the Leechburg area an experience that was above and beyond anything the family could have expected, his mother said.

Attending Kiski Area High School, Cameron was ingrained in the school’s culture, befriending everyone from lunch ladies to the football team. He participated in a Thursday night bowling league at Wildlife Lodge Lanes in Lower Burrell and held a job at Quality of Life Services in Apollo.

Known for his upbeat attitude and pure nature, Cameron Wickham died unexpectedly Dec. 16 at the age of 24.

A celebration of life will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at North Apollo Church of God, 507 20th St. People are asked to wear green — Cameron’s favorite color — Christmas attire or Pittsburgh Penguins apparel to honor him.

Wickham said she is comforted by people in the area who have made their porch lights green in remembrance of Cameron.

“I didn’t ever realize how big his world was and how many people he showed love to,” she said. “All the green lights — it’s the simplest gesture, but when we pull in our development, it’s everyone hugging us.”

Cameron loved birthdays, Wickham said, and she joked that he had a “birthday month” because he would get so excited for his May 30 birthday. She recalled a time at school when a pep rally just happened to fall on his birthday, and everyone in the gymnasium sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

“When I tell you that this kid captured the entire school, he showed them love every day. I had no idea how impactful he was,” Wickham said.

Love for birthdays spread outside the high school’s walls and into the Hawk Valley neighborhood where the Wickhams live.

“The neighborhood knew him best because he used to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to people,” friend Justin Celo said. “If he knew someone in the neighborhood was having a birthday, he made a card, got it ready, knocked on their door and sang ‘Happy Birthday.’ ”

The neighborhood would reciprocate that back to Cameron.

“He’s been a fixture,” said Jennifer Celo, Justin’s wife who is helping to coordinate the celebration of life for Cameron. “We would consider him family, for sure. We had Christmas and birthday presents for him.

“He was the sweetest, kindest soul in the whole world.”

Cameron walked Kiski’s graduation stage in 2019 and, as a student with special needs, spent another year at the school.

“They did a wonderful job teaching him and such, but it was all the other things you didn’t expect,” his mother said. “He made friends with lunch ladies and cleaned up after lunch.”

Early on, he became friends with the football team and cheerleaders, which is something you might not expect with a child with special needs.

“They snatched him up and loved him outwardly,” Wickham said.

In his free time, Cameron was part of a bowling league at Wildlife Lodge Lanes. Wickham said she visited the bowling alley last week and was touched to see people wearing green for Cameron.

The alley also had a slideshow of pictures of Cameron and played the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game on TV.

“It was very dear to them,” she said.

Cameron also loved to surprise people to make them happy, and his mother recalled a recent trip where he would surprise neighbors with ice cream.

Wickham joked that Cameron probably was the top customer at Sweetie’s Ice Cream in Leechburg. The stand, although now closed for the season, placed a sign on its marquee remembering Cameron.

In addition to his mother, Cameron is survived by his stepfather, Grady Gilchrist; siblings Chaney Wickham of Niles, Ohio, and Courtney Wickham of Avonmore; and half-siblings Morgan and Tasha Wickham of Ohio. He was preceded in death by his father, Jeffrey; a grandfather, Chauncy A. Olson; and a cousin, Samara Bylenok.

Since Cameron’s death, his mother has been fielding numerous messages from people sharing positive memories they had with him.

“We don’t know the half of it,” Wickham said. “I have people sending me Facebook requests just to send me a private message … even people that said they have met him once but that he made a lasting impression on their life.”

Cameron overcame a lot in life, she said. Speech and language were among his biggest challenges at a young age. He also was diagnosed with a seizure disorder when he was around 8. The family has not received an official report yet, but they believe a seizure may have caused his death.

According to Wickham, it also was difficult for him to get hired for the first time. He worked at McDonald’s for 4½ years before taking a position at Quality of Life Services in April. He enjoyed both jobs.

“For anybody with an intellectual disability, it is very difficult,” she said. “It was a wonderful thing (when he got hired), and that did a lot for him.”

Transportation was another challenge Cameron worked to overcome. He would never be able to drive a car, but a bike, and later an e-bike, helped him make his way through the community.

Cameron put 4,000 miles on an e-bike he received in April, and that was accrued while staying within a 10-mile radius of his house, Wickham said.

Friend and neighbor Amanda Davenport said that, despite his disability, his mother never held him back.

“She let him have freedom to live a life, and he did exactly that,” Davenport said.

With that came a signature sound that people in the Hawk Valley neighborhood would come to recognize and enjoy.

“I’d sit on my patio, and you always knew when Cameron was coming because you could hear the brakes squeal on his bike,” Justin Celo said. “We would sit and chat — it was about the weather, his bowling games, what he had for dinner. It was everyday talk.

“Those are the moments we’ll miss most.”

Wickham said her Hawk Valley neighbors were family to Cameron. The night before he died, he rode around the neighborhood delivering Christmas cards.

“His presence was definitely a pick-me-up,” Justin Celo said. “He was the purest human being I knew.”

Cameron never passed up an opportunity to say “hi” to a neighbor or friend, Davenport said, and he loved all things living. His family had two Great Danes: Zeta, 6, and Rocket, 4.

“They were his dogs,” Wickham said. “He took responsibility for them. He was very close to them.”

Davenport recalled a time when she was in her front yard and her dog was sick. Cameron pulled off his bike and asked whether the dog was OK and instantly started praying.

“You can’t convince me he was not an angel walking on Earth,” Davenport said. “He could put you in a good mood in a heartbeat. He was out to make people happy.”