There's my stepdad, hauling in the catch of the day while sitting next to the catch of his life.
My mother Donna and I are planning a memorial service in Portland, Oregon in late October for all those who are unable to attend the funeral mass in Grand Forks, North Dakota (to be held this Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m. at St. Michael's on 5th).
The memorial service in Portland will be a celebration of his life. Anyone who knows Russ has a story about him, and we would like to invite you to share them with us at the memorial.
Check back on this page for more information about times and dates--and if you would like me to send you an email once we nail down the time and date, please leave me a comment here or email me at brookebrannon@yahoo.com.
Thank you so much for your kind thoughts. Russ would have loved all the attention--and even more, he would have been touched and deeply grateful for the support you have offered my family during this time. We have been buoyed by your love for Russ, and for us, and we too are deeply grateful for you.
We hope to see you in Oregon this fall. Be well, friends.
Brooke,
Russ's kid
Some people you encounter through life leave such robust memories that upon meeting decades later it can be a shock to see how much they have changed. From what I read in the notice I happened across in the Oregonian (which was truly an example of sychronicity as I'd been out of the country for weeks and had just resumed delivery of the paper that day) it doesn't seem that my memories of Russ and Donna of the 80's (when Russ & I worked together for a number of years in the ED)were any different from how they continued to live their lives during the following 2 decades. That knowledge was wonderfully comforting. Many of the ED staff have Russ to thank for introducing them to "Prairie Home Companion" and for his romantic tales of the Boundary Waters where he and Donna enjoyed such wonderful vacations portaging from lake to lake, loving it...mosquitoes and all. Donna would sometimes come to the ED to see Russ and her smile would just light up the room almost equaling Russ's beaming grin when he saw her walk in. In my opinion, theirs was one of the great loves, the kind you can only hope to experience one day.
ReplyDeleteSo, vaya con Dios Dr. C,- you cowboy booted, larger than life fella. May we all be so lucky and get to live our dreams as you did during your too short time on this earth.
Brooke (and family) -
ReplyDeleteI never met Russ - perhaps I exchanged an email or two with him while searching out some caches on the range, but from what I've learned from fellow geocachers that did know him I've come to understand what a great guy he was and what a huge impact he's had on a large number of people.
Matt Werner
"Pear Head"
Russ is a person to be remembered always. He was an inspiration to many, expecting nothing in return. As we Iron Rangers say,he is "good people". He was the first geocacher I met in person.
ReplyDeleteToivo Twofeathers aka Bill Hanson
I have known Russ only since 2008, meeting him by chance while both of us were geocaching for the same cache. I felt like we had been friends for ever, maybe because we were kindred spirits having in common living and working in the Portland area and both of us retiring in northern Minnesota (me in 2000). I am having a hard time realizing he is gone from our midst. I will miss "Ole", especially reading his witty geocache log entries.
ReplyDeleteHarvey Frisco, Grand Rapids, MN
I met "Ole" while geocaching during a blizzard on Thanksgiving...the only 2 people crazy enough to go for a FTF that day. He was an amazing person and i will miss him. It won't be as fun making fun of "Cushman" without him. :(
ReplyDeleteRyan Zubke (Zubo1992)
I, too, never had the privilege of meeting "Ole" in person. I'd laugh heartily at his logs and the occasional e-mails sent this way. He struck me as a man with a twinkle in his eye and compassion in his heart. Friendly banter was enjoyed by many of us northern Minnesotans. I think that Russ was a catalyst for a part if not a majority of it. He will be sadly and sorely missed by me and numerous others.
ReplyDeleteI met "Ole" the first time at a geocache event and found out "Lena" is a fellow quilter friend. Ole has always been an inspiration to me getting out there for those FTF's and keeping us all on our toes. Each time I look for one of his caches, I'll think of him.
ReplyDeleteI first met Ole a couple of years ago. I was coming home from work and noticed a car alongside the road, near one of my geocaches. I pulled up behind the car and a few minutes later Ole and "Stub" came out of the woods. We sat alongside that road and talked for a good half hour, all the while swatting mosquitoes. It was like I'd known him my whole life. Since then, I had the pleasure to meet up with him at a couple of different events, including the last event, the 10 year Geocaching Anniversary Event in Bemidji. The geocaching scene will be different without Ole to guide us. We miss ya buddy.
ReplyDeleteJerry Eklund
Walker, Minnesota
"Uffda320"
I met Russ a couple of times. The first time was when I attended a geocache event in Grand Rapids and had the pleasure of meeting "Lena," too. We talked for a while and swapped stories. We met up again at the 10-year anniversary event in Bemidji and after the event we saw each other at Home Depot. Not seeing Ole (and Lena) on caching pages anymore will be hard to swallow...Happy Caching in the hereafter, Russ!!
ReplyDeleteI never met this man except through geocaching. I set loose a Travel Bug with the insane goal of getting as close as possible to Remer MN where the family went on vacations in the 50's. It got close but seemed to have vanished. This man went out of his way to not only somehow find my phone number but also to track down the bug!
ReplyDeleteHe took it into the town of Remer for photographs! This act was all I needed to know that he must have been a treasure to all who knew him.
glenn (threecats)