Orlando Ives "Russ" Russell Jr

Orlando Ives “Russ” Russell Jr., 70, passed away on May 4th, 2025, at the Bailey Family Center for Caring. Russ was born on January 22, 1955, in Jacksonville, FL, to Orlando & Mildred Russell. From a young age, he learned to fix & build things alongside his father. This led to a long career path in construction & mechanics. He moved to Oklahoma with his little sister in the ’70s, & that would come to be where he spent most of his years. He began working in construction, where he worked on the Optima Dam. This led him to meet many friends, including Harold, who would introduce him to his future wife & mother of his children, Sherry. Together they would have & raise their 3 children: Nick, Danielle, & Saraya. Russ spent many years living & working in Oklahoma before moving back to St. Augustine, FL, & eventually going to work for VJ Usina as a diesel mechanic. He could work on just about anything—and did—from cars to race cars to heavy equipment. There wasn’t much he couldn’t or wouldn’t fix, but his favorite thing to work on was heavy haul trucks. He moved his family from St. Augustine back to Oklahoma in 1994, where he went to work for Darr Equipment. This led to him working at APAC, where he began as a diesel mechanic but retired as a shop supervisor. Outside of tinkering with things, there are many things Russ enjoyed. One of those many things was food—eating it, cooking it, & sharing it. He loved to cook, notably his famous green beans that everybody always requested for any special occasion or family gathering. Those green beans even won him a trophy at one of the annual APAC BBQ cook-offs. But he liked to cook other things as well. When his kids were growing up, he would spend many Sundays cooking a large Sunday dinner while listening to his favorite music—usually classic rock—on his surround sound. He would smoke or grill multiple types of meat, but almost always shrimp—that was his favorite. You could also catch him on Sundays napping in his favorite spot on the couch… or, as he would call it, “just resting his eyes.” Some of his other hobbies included riding motorcycles, watching things on TV such as westerns, action movies, wrestling, or NASCAR, going to the beach, & working on his truck. But the thing Russ loved MOST in this world was & always will be his family. And there are far too many memories & moments to share here. He would do anything for them, & he loved spending time with them. In 2021, he moved back to his home state of Florida, where he met & spent the final years of his life with his final love, Louise. Though their time together wasn’t long enough, they made the most of it by sharing the things they both loved, such as taking drives on the beach, going to concerts, dining out at their favorite restaurants, or simply sitting on the porch listening to the sound of the river and the serenade of the frogs in the evenings. Russ was preceded in death by his parents, Orlando & Mildred Russell; his sister, Cheryl Foote; his nephew, Dustin Behne; & his best friend, Biff Huckaby. He is survived by his loving companion, Louise Chambers; his children, Nicholas Russell & daughter-in-law Courtney Russell, Danielle Russell, and Saraya Russell; his grandchildren, Cayden & Kiley Sonnenberg, Ryleigh Russell, & Kashlynn Roth; his sister, Del-Marie Borkert; along with many nephews, nieces, cousins, & friends. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Monday, June 2 at St. Johns Family Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, we are asking that donations be made to K9s For Warriors, a non-profit foundation highly supported by the local Harley-Davidson. Those unable to attend may view a live stream of the service by going to: https://iframe.dacast.com/live/2a7a09ae1c0559a83ef537e05e6a14a6/2aae7d5f-98fd-a9e6-32a7-b774547cf42c.

Orlando Ives "Russ" Russell Jr

January 22, 1955 - May 4, 2025