Donald Clarence Russell

He is survived by son DeWitt Russell II and daughter-in-law Joan (Feuerhelm) Russell of Sacramento, Calif.; granddaughters Holly (Russell) McCloskey of Encinitas, Calif., and Ashley Russell of Sacramento; and great-grandson James “Jack” Donald McCloskey of Encinitas.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, DeWitt and Goldie (Parker) Russell of Boise, Idaho; brother John Russell of Gooding, Idaho, and sister Jean Roy of Auburn, Wash.

He was born July 29, 1926, in Council, Idaho, a small town in the west-central part of the state. His father was a U.S. forest ranger; his mother at one time was county sheriff.

At age 6, Don went to live on the Idaho cattle ranch of friends Fred and Alma Lapin. As he grew, he was given increasingly more difficult chores, such as driving a team of horses while harvesting hay. He also hand-milked some 25 dairy cows, with his day starting before dawn. He recalled the rancher's wife complaining to her husband, “You're working that boy like a man.” But Don said he loved it.

He also worked on firefighting crews as a boy in the rugged terrain of his father's ranger district. It was dirty, exhausting work. Back then, crews used pack horses to carry water to remote wildfires.

Don recalled being angry at the Forest Service because they didn't want to pay him, since he was a minor. The next time his father summoned him to fight a fire, Don sarcastically replied: “Let her burn.” That was NOT the response his dad wanted to hear, and he let his son know it in no uncertain terms. The government eventually agreed to pay Don.

Don attended Council High School, where he excelled in football, basketball and boxing. He also participated in music – playing the violin and trumpet.

After World War II began, Don volunteered for service in 1943 on his 17th birthday. His mother had to sign for him because he was not 18. He joined the Navy and shipped out for the South Pacific. He served on a destroyer tender, the USS Yellowstone, as a Shipfitter 1st Class, and in the Naval Amphibious Forces, ferrying Marines onto beaches in landing craft.

Don's tour of duty took him to many islands, including Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Wake, Guam, Saipan and the Solomons. He volunteered for commando training, where – as a “frogman” – he had to swim under oily seawater that had been set ablaze. In his shipfitter duties, he submerged in the old hard-hat pressurized diving suits to make welding repairs on damaged hulls of ships.

The South Pacific islands were hot, humid and insect-infested. Don suffered several bouts of mosquito-borne malaria.

For war-time recreation, Don boxed in matches held in rings aboard ship. He was a tenacious fighter. “I figured if I could give two punches for every one I took, I'd be doing OK,” he said. As his reputation spread, rival boxers were brought in from other ships to face him. He said they all left defeated.

Don viewed his World War II experiences as an adventure, where he got to see a part of the world he otherwise might never have seen.

When the war ended in 1945, Don shipped back to the States to finish his four years of service. He was assigned to the naval base at Portsmouth, N.H. It was at this time he met Helen at a USO dance in Portland, Maine. They fell in love and were married in 1947. Their marriage lasted nearly 64 years, until Helen passed in 2011.

Don took his bride across the country to meet his family in Idaho. After the birth of son DeWitt there in 1951, the family moved to Southern California, where work was booming in the post-war era.

Don found good jobs in the Los Angeles area, employing machine-shop, welding and sheet metal skills he had acquired. He and Helen bought a home in one of the many subdivisions that were springing up. They raised DeWitt through the sixth grade in La Mirada, volunteering as parent leaders in Cub Scouts and Little League. In 1964, Don moved the family to Santa Barbara, where they lived until DeWitt completed his high school and college years.

Throughout his life, Don loved hunting, fishing and camping – using tents in the early years, but campers and motor homes later. He also loved the open road. He drove the family on three cross-country trips to Portland, Maine, plus trips to Seattle, Wash., and Boise. In later years, he and Helen took their motor home through the South, Southwest, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.

In 1972, Don hurt his back in a work accident and underwent surgeries that left him unable to resume his profession. To make ends meet, he and Helen became licensed child-care operators in their Santa Barbara home. The business was successful and kept them afloat. Best of all, they enjoyed watching the children.

By 1976, Don was bitten by the “moving bug” again. He and Helen left Santa Barbara to live in remote Trinity County, Calif., where they bought 36 acres near the town of Hayfork. They built a beautiful homestead, which they called Twin Oaks. They kept horses and enjoyed teaching their granddaughters to ride. Developing a ranch had been a dream of Don's since his childhood years on the farm. He ended up putting his farming and building skills to good use.

As Don and Helen grew older, it became difficult for them to drive the mountain roads to Redding for doctor's appointments and groceries. They sold the property and bought a five-acre ranchette in Churn Creek Bottom, south of Redding, in the 1990s. They kept horses, and later boarded cattle. In his last years there, Don enjoyed visits from family, especially his great-grandson, Jack, who will always have happy memories of his great-granddad's farm.

After Helen passed, Don continued living on the property. He cut and split firewood, built cattle fences, and operated his tractor, ATV and car well into his mid-90's.

Don believed in staying physically fit. When he had two knee-replacement surgeries, he did rehab at Shasta Physical Therapy in Redding. After his recovery, he and Helen began working out there two or three times a week. They continued for the next two decades, with Don becoming the gym's unofficial “Ambassador of Goodwill.” On his 90th birthday, he was was given a free “lifetime” membership.

Don loved going to the Shasta Rodeo and the Redding Fourth of July fireworks. He also attended Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, where he got a lot of love from people wanting to shake his hand and ask him questions about his WWII service.

In his last years in Redding, Don went to lunch regularly at the Shasta Senior Nutrition Program, where he enjoyed socializing with seniors and staff who loved him. Not long after he began attending, he was given a permanent spot at the head of the table by the new friends he had made.

Last year, Don moved to Ivy Park at Laguna Creek in Elk Grove, near Sacramento. In January, he was honored for his WWII service in a “Veteran's Last Patrol” ceremony. The organizer presented Don with a display case of seven medals he had earned but was never awarded. The event was covered by Sacramento TV stations and the Elk Grove newspaper.

Don was fortunate to have had a long life filled with family and friends. He was that rare person who lit up the room whenever he entered. Just ask the Sunday morning regulars at Lulu's restaurant in Redding, whom Don joined every week for good food and conversation. Most everyone he met in life considered him a very special person.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. June 30 at Lawncrest Chapel, 1522 East Cypress Ave., Redding, Calif. Don's ashes will be interred with Helen's the following day at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shasta Senior Nutrition Program at www.supportmercynorth.org. Choose DONATE: Dignity Health Connected Living.