Walter Lee Russell, 83, passed away on December 17, 2024, due to heart failure at Banner Baywood Medical Center. He was born April 10, 1941, in Gallia County, Ohio, the son of Everett E. Russell and Grace L. Russell.
Walter graduated from Southwestern High School, Class of 1959. Following graduation, he made a career working on cars in Auto Collision Repair. He met and married Tanya in 1960. In 1969, they moved to California and frequently traveled to their home in Arizona. They just celebrated 64 years of marriage in October.
In addition to his parents passing, he has a son, Brian, that passed away in 2018. He is survived by his wife Tanya, a son, Bruce, and a daughter, Mariann. He is also survived by 2 brothers, David A. Russell and Earl G. Russell. In addition, he has 14 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Walter was an avid stamp collector, coin collector and loved keeping scrapbooks of random subjects, such as old cars, politics, comic strips, and family memorabilia. He enjoyed being outdoors, watching birds and the planes flying overhead. He enjoyed working in the yard and loved to pull the wild dandelions growing, in which he fermented into dandelion wine, winning him a first-place ribbon in the L.A. County Fair.
Walter was always willing to help someone in need and seemed to always have the perfect words of advice for those that needed it. He is greatly loved and will be deeply missed by all those that loved him dearly.
There will be a graveside burial held at Mountain View Funeral Home & Cemetery in the Garden of Charity, in Mesa, Arizona on December 27th at 12pm.
In lieu of flowers, those that wish to remember Walter in a special way may make gifts in his memory to the American Heart Association. American Heart Association | To be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives