Oren was born in Hays, KS, on August 1, 1933 to Oren E. Campbell, Sr and Ethel M. Vilven Campbell. He aspired to a journalism career from his teen years in Paola, KS, starting as a cub reporter on his hometown weekly. He attended Kansas State College, where he edited the Collegian student newspaper and met his love and life-long companion, Gaynelle (Gay) Koci. He worked his way through college as a campus correspondent for the Kansas City Star. He and Gay were married the year after he graduated and, after military service, he embarked on a career that took him from sports writing jobs at the Wichita Eagle and Chicago's American, to sports editor of the Wichita Beacon and then to editor of daily newspapers in Nampa, ID, Bremerton, WA, Rockford, IL and Walla Walla, WA. He was the subject of a story in the New Yorker magazine about his turbulent editorship in Idaho. He owned a small weekly paper in Junction City, OR for five years, then managed the Portland Community College student newspaper. At the end of his career Oren served for 14 years as the publisher/editorial adviser for The Daily at the University of Washington where he was privileged to work with hundreds of outstanding young men and women in what he described as "the best job in journalism".

Oren was honored for a lifetime of achievement by the Seattle chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). He was a member of SPJ for more than 70 years, and served as Oregon chapter president, UW student chapter adviser and national board member. In 1991 he founded the Northwest News Council, a forerunner of the Washington News Council.

Upon retirement, he and Gay moved to Camano Island, his version of Paradise, where they were active in a successful effort to establish a community library. They loved to cruise and their travels took them all over the world. He was a strong supporter of community journalism. Oren loved baseball and in his teens, he collected more than 700 MLB autographs. While in Idaho, he served as state semi-pro baseball commissioner. He was also active in the self-help work of Partners of the Americas, first as Idaho President and later as a Washington state board member. The Idaho Jaycees named him one of the state's "three outstanding young men" in 1970. Oren created an endowment to Kansas State University to support journalism majors. He donated to many charities throughout his life.

Survivors include his wife Gay of Camano Island, daughter Dawn Boyden (John) Coupeville, grandsons Jeff Boyden (Courtney Liu) of Tacoma and Dan Boyden (Jeanette Dolmetsch) of Stanwood, and sister Carol Conner of Gladstone, MO. He was preceded in death by his son Drew and his stepbrother, William (Preston) Hastings.

Oren's family is grateful for the skilled, loving care of Harborview Medical Center's staff in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests making a donation in Oren's name to The Daily at UW