Donald Anderson Russell

Donald Anderson Russell died August 1, 2019 in Taylorsville, UT, at the age of 93. He was born January 8, 1926 in Ogden, UT, the son of Anthony and Nellie Anderson Russell. He attended Ogden schools including Mound Fort Junior High and Ogden High School where he excelled in track.

Don had an incredible work ethic and always had at least one job since he was in kindergarten selling newspapers and magazines. Other Ogden jobs included picking and packing fruit and vegetables at the American Can Company where he packed railroad cars with crates from the cannery. Later he sold shoes. He was a true child of the Great Depression and always desired to be working.

It was at Ogden High School, in 1943, that he met his eternal love, La Dona Gammell. From 1944 to 1945, during WWII, he was proud to have served his country in the Army Air Corps.

Don married La Dona in the Logan Temple on July 15, 1949. Just weeks ago they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Theirs was a marriage of unprecedented kindness and love towards one another.

Always proud of his Southern Utah heritage, Don enjoyed time with relatives in Grafton and New Harmony. He is one of the last people to have spent time living in Grafton.

Don graduated from Weber College and the University of Utah and then began a career in business. After a few years he realized that his career would keep him away from home, and he went on to earn his masters degree in education from the University of Utah. His educational career spanned four decades as he began teaching school in Ogden in the early 1950s and moved to the South Bay Area of California where he taught school in Sunnyvale, CA.

Don and La Dona lived in Saratoga, CA for more than 30 years where they raised four children and were active in the community and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of Don’s numerous Church callings were counselor in the Los Gatos ward bishopric, stake clerk, and high priest group leader.

In 1991 Don and La Dona relocated to Murray, UT where they enjoyed many happy years.

Don had numerous hobbies and interests including gardening, travel, the Big Band era and sound, poetry--having authored thousands of poems on almost every imaginable topic, stamp collecting, the Detroit Tigers, and painting large school playground maps throughout California and Utah. Above all, he loved his wife and family.

He is preceded in death by his parents; and brothers Glayden and Bryant; sisters Adrienne, Doris and Rosemary. He is survived by his wife, La Dona; sons Donald (Esther) Taylorsville, UT, Reed (Barbara) Lee’s Summit, MO, David (Sherry) Bluffdale, UT; and daughter Robin (John) Los Gatos, CA. He is also survived by his brother Norman (Diane) North Ogden, UT; 12 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held Friday, August 9, 2019, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT. Funeral services will be Saturday, August 10, 2019, 11:00 am, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5605 S. Vine Street, Murray, UT, with a viewing prior from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Interment, Murray City Cemetery.

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