Richard E. Russell

Richard E. Russell, 72, formerly of Nashua, died suddenly on May 1, 2005 at the NH Veterans Home in Tilton where he resided for 15 months. He was born in Springfield, MA on July 13, 1932 to Earl Jackson Russell and Helen Irene (Rourke) Russell and attended schools in Boston, where the family lived on Anderson Street, until high school when they moved to Waldoboro, ME. Known as Russ, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and served stateside as a jet aircraft mechanic. A gifted athlete, Russ played baseball on the USAF Special Services team which toured military bases offering diversion and entertainment for troops during wartime. After being honorably discharged, he attended the University of Maine at Orono on the GI Bill, majored in history and education and played varsity football, basketball and baseball. During the summers, he played catcher for the Boston Red Sox minor league team in Louisville, KY. He was signed by the Red Sox but was unable to fullfill his contract as an automobile accident during his junior year left him critically injured and ended his promising future in professional baseball. Russ pursued an education career, taught history at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, JFK High School in Willingboro, NJ and coached varsity football at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. He married Marjorie L. Fader in 1960 and the couple became parents to twin girls and a son. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to start an educational sales firm in the early 1970s and he held several sales positions in various industries until his retirement in the late1980s. Despite being physically challenged by lung disease, he participated fully in activities and outings at the Veterans Home. Russ was generous to a fault and had a bantering sense of humor. He befriended nearly everyone he met, never uttered an unkind word and saw the positive all around him. A hopeless romantic, he was a true gentleman who considered chivalry a lost art and never missed an opportunity to kiss a lady’s hand. For Russ, the morning couldn’t start without a steaming hot cup of black coffee and the newspaper. He got a kick from games of chance and became a seasoned bingo player and lottery aficionado. He sought proficiency in drawing, a hobby he acquired at the age of 70. Russ especially loved dogs, and his favorite pastimes were The Three P’s—pizza, poker and Pavarotti. He was a popular resident at the Veterans Home and he will be sorely missed. His children were his pride and joy. He is survived by his beloved daughters, Tracie L. Russell of Eliot, ME, and Leslye R. Dedopoulos of Durham, NH, and his son, David E. Russell of Charlotte, NC who he cherished; two sisters, Marian R. Winchester of Augusta, ME and Judith L. Billingsley of Chandler, AZ; three granddaughters, Meredith Lindsay Dedopoulos of Durham, NH, and Emily Madeline Russell and Katherine Paige Russell, both of Charlotte, NC; and seven nieces and nephews. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, May 14, 2005 at 11:30 am at the Community Church of Durham on 17 Main Street in Durham, NH with the Rev. Dr. Mary Westfall officiating. Interment will take place at on May 16th at 1:00 at the NH State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen. Memorial donations may be made to the New Hampshire Veterans Home Benefit Fund, 139 Winter Street, Tilton, NH 03276.