James Miller Russell

James M. Russell died April 24, 2023, at Cascade Memory Care in Rochester; he was 91 years old. Jim was born in Glasgow, Scotland on Aug. 13, 1931. He always said his timing wasn't great since it was during the early days of the depression followed by World War II. Life in Glasgow was difficult, but he never felt deprived. He was a curious boy who remained curious throughout his life, always looking for the "why" behind the "what." His young boyhood was spent in Glasgow after which his family moved to Stockholm where Jim spent his teen years. He described that time as idyllic because Sweden had not been affected by the war. After the grim years of the depression's shortages and the intense bombing by the Germans during the war, he described his life in Sweden as Shangri-la. One friend on his Swedish baseball team was a young American soldier named Lloyd Speer, who worked at the U.S. Embassy. One day he asked if Jim had ever thought of going to America. Jim said he had not but it sounded like a great adventure, so yes, he would like to go to America. At that time, emigrants to the U.S. needed a citizen-sponsor to enter the country. Lloyd's father, who lived in Des Moines, Iowa agreed to sponsor Jim. A second law influenced Jim's entry to the U.S. Before he left Sweden, he was told that he would be subject to the military draft. He arrived in Des Moines in early September of 1951 and was in Army basic training in January 1952. For two years he was at Fort Meade, Maryland. But he didn't mind being a soldier because the Army's GI bill paid for two college degrees. During the three months Jim spent in Des Moines before his active military duty, he worked in a sporting goods store - the perfect job for an athlete. One night a friend invited Jim to go with him to a dance being held at a local school. There he met a young student nurse: MaryJane Doyle. They corresponded throughout his time in Maryland, and a year following his discharge they were married in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1955. Immediately following his discharge in 1954, he enrolled at Drake University. At one point, early in his education, he fell under the spell of an amazing history professor, and history became his lifelong passion. After completing his BA and MA in history, he took a job teaching American History at John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, in the fall of 1963. His love of learning never waned. During his career he received two Endowment for the Humanities scholarships to study the origins of Christianity and Christianity in the Roman State - one at the University of Texas and one at Princeton University as well as a summer program at Oxford University. After teaching at John Marshall, he joined the faculty at (then) Rochester State Junior College in 1966. He often said, "teaching is euphoric," and for him that was true throughout his career. He studied every day, and never went unprepared to any class. While he loved teaching, he also became emersed in school politics. He strongly believed in the philosophy of "being all in" if you were part of something, working to improve it. Five times in the course of his tenure he was elected president of the faculty. He also served on various committees for the local college and for the state level of the faculty association. He retired in August of 1996. His school was not the only recipient of Jim's talents as a leader. For many years, he worked as a writer for local and state political campaigns (both sides of the aisle), served as a board member of the Rochester Women's Shelter, served at the local and state level of Planned Parenthood, and served the Rochester United Way subcommittees. For several years he wrote a monthly opinion column for the Rochester Post Bulletin, typically on national and international politics and women's issues. Jim also was a member of the Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted Counties Victim Services Program; and he served three terms as a police commissioner for the Rochester Police Department. In his retirement he taught many classes for the RCTC LIFE program and served on its board. Giving back was truly important to Jim Russell. After the death of MaryJane, Jim found another love of his life in Priscilla (Pixy) Kellogg. They were married in July of 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden. In their retirement Jim and Pixy traveled widely in Europe, "to see the places I talk about." A European trip with Jim was a history lesson every day. They especially loved their travels to Paris. They truly enjoyed each other's company in their 36 years of marriage. Their blended family of 9 children has been a blessing to them and they have welcomed many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to their growing family. In 2006, following an extensive exploration of her father's family history, his daughter Sheila discovered Jim's unknown half-brother, Peter. Sharing the same father, they met and spent time together comparing their lives. Peter emigrated from England to Chicago a few years after Jim came from Sweden. They were sorry to have lived so close for so many years but knew nothing about each other. Finding each other was a gift. Jim was preceded in death by an infant son, his wife MaryJane, who died in 1982, his mother Mary Veronica McDermott Russell, sister Olive Russell Thor, brother-in-law Lars Thor, his brother and sister-in-law Peter Theobald (Joan). He is survived by his wife Pixy and children: Brian Russell (Janet Filer), Sheila Russell Perry (Jim), Laurie Kellogg Solari (Michael), Colin Russell (Trudy), Claire Russell Foley (Brian), Ian Russell, Stephannie Kellogg Keller, Alec Russell (Vicki Lynn Johnson), Angus Russell (Mandy Ruggeri) Shoira Sadikova, an exchange student from Tajikistan who became a daughter, and a much-loved sister-in-law, Kathleen Doyle, OSB. Jim had 20 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. The family thanks the Mayo Clinic Hospice team and the care givers at Cascade Creek for their thoughtful and generous care. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to The RCTC Foundation LIFE Program, Rochester Planned Parenthood, or a charity of the donor's choice. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes (5421 Royal PL NW) with visitation one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will take place at a later date.