DONALD “RUSS” RUSSELL

Donald “Russ” Wayne Russell, 80, passed away on March 25, 2024, at his home in Lexington after three years of in home Hospice care for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 

Russ was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Oct 15, 1943 to parents Douglas Hugh Russell and Ella Harris Russell. He attended The University of Pennsylvania, then transferred to University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he studied English, politics, philosophy and economics, graduating in 1967. 

Russ relocated permanently to the United States in 1974, living in Greenwich, Conn., Marblehead, Mass., Newburyport, Mass., then Bristol, Maine, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1989. He helped develop the usage and potential for carbon fiber for Union Carbide (’74-’78), founded and  managed Sovereign Yachts, Stamford, Conn., with his partner (’78-’85) 

Eventually Russ retired to his family’s summer home in Bristol, Maine, where he took care of his aging parents, and the farm, and played a lot of golf, wintering first in Southern Pines, N.C., then Green Valley, Ariz. He met his second wife, Sarah Gayle Carter, in 2008. They lived together at the farm in Maine on Two Century Farm, in his beloved “Barn”, until moving to Lexington in 2014. 

Russ was many things: a gifted athlete at any sport he took up ‒ cricket, soccer, shooting, rugby, downhill skiing, ice hockey, tennis, sailing and golf. He had a brilliant mind, and was a lifelong learner, an engaging raconteur and a master of history in general, military history in particular. A lover of travel, art, dogs, good books, good food, good company and a good laugh. He was a proud father, a natural teacher, a diligent steward of The Farm in Maine, a charismatic leader and companion who knew at least a little, and often a lot, about an astonishing range of subjects. 

He is survived by his wife Sarah; children Courtney Samantha Russell and  Trevor Alexander Russell; grandson, Teo Pickering; brothers Douglas Floyd Russell and Byron Dale Russell; and his dog, Mojo. 

There will be a small, private reception at his home in Lexington. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to ConnectionsPlus Healthcare+Hospice, 315 Myers St, Lexington, VA 24450.