John R. Russel ’63

John R. Russel ’63 died on March 10, 2015, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

(The following appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican, March 19-25, 2015).

 May 16, 1943 – March 10, 2015

John Robert Russel, 71, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, passed away on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 after a valiant battle with cancer. He was born in Portland, Maine and educated at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, earning his M.D. at McGill University in Montreal. He did his pathology residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. After serving nine years in the Army, he received an honorable discharge and worked in private practice in San Antonio, Texas through 2012, passionately serving many rural south Texas communities. He married his soulmate, Wendy Bowman, in December, 1986 and they spent the next 29 years making beautiful music together. Wendy and John were active in the congregations and choirs of Abiding Presence ELCA, San Antonio, Coker UMC, San Antonio, FUMC Boerne, TX, St. John’s UMC, Santa Fe, NM. John was an avid barbershop tenor, singing in the San Antonio Chordsmen, Heart of Texas Chorus in San Marcos, TX, Duke City Sound in Albuquerque, NM, and many quartets. He and Wendy shared a love of hiking and spent many wonderful weeks with their children and nieces hiking mountains, canyons and valleys across the globe. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He was preceded in death by his father John Conrad, mother Hila vandenBosch, and son William Robert. John is survived by his beloved wife, Wendy Bowman Russel, children Heather (Atlanta), Jonathon, wife Susan, grandchildren Abby and Graham (Green Bay), Justin (Fort Worth), Luke, wife Sacha and granddaughter Mackenzie (Lake Charles), brother James and wife Deborah (Connecticut), nephews Matthew, and Andrew and wife Beth, sister in law Cindy Herndon and husband Rick (MD) and nieces Julie and Meredith.

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