HEBRON - Dr. James Albert Russell died at home with his wife and daughter at his side on Saturday, March 24, 2018. Born in Groesbeck, Texas, he was the son of the late Elmer O. Russell and Ether Mae Williams Russell and the eldest of ten children.
He was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran, having served in both the Korean War and World War II. He received a bachelor's degree From Texas A & M and at the age of 88, he earned a Masters in Theology with a Doctorate in Divinity. He worked for the Computer Science Center at NASA Wallops Island as a Senior Mechanical Engineer for the Facilities Engineering Department, retiring in 1994.
He was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Salisbury, American Legion, Masonic Lodge, Eastern Shore Architectural & Engineering Association and the Community Players of Salisbury. He was a Bible student and Sunday School teacher.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Virginia Kent Russell; a daughter, J. Kara Russell; two stepchildren, Dr. Kathryn L. Diefenbach of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and A. Karl Diefenbach of Morgantown, W.Va.; two sisters, Maxine McMahon of Mexia, Texas, and Ruby Randall of Chandler, Texas; two granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral service was held on Friday, March 30, 2018, at the Holloway Funeral Home in Salisbury. Burial was in Point Enterprise Cemetery in Mexia, Texas.