Born July 21, 1936, in Kansas City, KS to Luke and Ruth Russell. He graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1954 and played on the Wyandotte basketball and baseball teams. His baseball team won state championships in 1953 and 1954. He attended University of Kansas where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, played on the KU baseball team for three years, and served in Army ROTC. He graduated from KU with BS in business and then served on active duty in the US Army and the Army Reserves till honorably discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in 1966. After his active duty, he worked in his father’s business at The Shopper. When his father died in 1961, Gary took over the family business and served as president and chief executive of the Shopper Publications until it was sold to the Kansas City Kansan newspaper in 1987. He retired as the manager of the Wyandotte County Shopper in 1999.
From the late 1960s through the early 1980s he was active in many Kansas City Kansas civic organizations. He served as president of the KCK YMCA and was selected as its man of the year in 1975. He was chairman of the successful KCK United Way campaign in 1974 and then served as president of the United Way’s board of directors. He was a member the KCK Rotary Club for many years. He was a member of Washington Avenue Methodist and Trinity United Methodist in KCK for nearly 50 years before joining United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in 1998. He served Washington Avenue and Trinity in many leadership roles.
Gary was a lifetime member of the KU Alumni Association, a senior lifetime member of the KU letterman’s K-Club, and a member of KU’s Baseball Diamond Club. He loved following KU basketball and football and had season tickets to both for many, many years. He also had Chiefs and Royals season tickets for many years and was in the stands when the Royals won the 1985 World Series.
Gary married his wife Fran in 1988, and they enjoyed traveling and cruising for many years until her death in 2018. In retirement, Gary enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels for many years. He was also an avid reader after retiring.
He was preceded in death by his parents Luke and Ruth Russell and his sisters Janet Colboch and Sharon Taylor. He is survived by his brother James Russell and his wife Fran, his sons, Paul Russell, David Russell, Mark Russell and his wife Wendi, five grandchildren, Megan, Madison, Austin, Michaela, and Mitchell.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held at a later date at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to Wyandotte County United Way.