Friends throughout LGBTQ Atlanta are mourning the loss of David Camp, the longtime owner of Felix’s on the Square who died during Atlanta Pride weekend.
Camp was a “staple of our community,” according to a Facebook post from Felix’s on Oct. 11, the day after he died.
“Owning and operating Felix’s for 20+ years, David did his best to lift the community and bring a little joy and fun into everyone’s life,” the post said. “He believed in creating a fun environment where everyone, absolutely everyone was not only welcome but made to feel like part of the family.”
Midtown Moon owner Marco Penna became fast friends with Camp after moving to Atlanta in 2003.
“David’s bar was the first one I went to,” Penna told Project Q Atlanta. “We went to the old Alfredo’s once a week for dinner because he liked Italian food. I used to make lasagna and different stuff for him, and we’d eat at his bar.”
“He was a really true LGBTQ supporter in our community, and that’s what I liked about him,” he added.
‘Felix’s was his dream bar’
David Frederick Camp was born in Atlanta on Dec. 29, 1953, according to an online obituary. He spent several years in the RV industry traveling throughout the U.S., but remained a lifelong Atlanta resident. He also enjoyed racing cars at Chin Track Days in Braselton.
Camp opened Felix’s in 2000.
“Felix’s was his dream bar to open up,” Penna said. “He was a serious businessman when it came to the business, but he was very friendly to all the customers and talked really nice to everybody. To me, that meant a lot.”
“When I bought the Moon three years ago, he was one of my biggest supporters. He was a great man,” he added.
“David’s enduring legacy is that he offered a very safe place for many and was a loyal friend to a host of diverse people,” according to the online obituary.
A memorial service was held Oct. 14 at Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Tucker. Felix’s hosted a celebration of life on Oct. 18.
Friends can make donations in Camp’s memory to the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, according to the online obituary.
The bar will continue as Felix’s in its current Ansley Square home in Midtown, according to the Oct. 11 Facebook post.
This story is made possible by a grant from Google News Initiative’s Journalism Emergency Relief Fund.
