Russ was born in Brunswick, Maine, the youngest of 5 brothers. He became an Eagle Scout in 1978 and graduated from Brunswick High the same year. He enlisted in the Army in January 1980 and attended school to become a Chemical Warfare Specialist. His first duty station was the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, testing the safety of the environment during the incineration of nerve agents and mustard gas stored at the Arsenal. He stayed in Colorado and married Kathy Bowman (Wheat Ridge) in November 1983. He joined the Colorado National Guard and earned his 2nd Lieutenant bars in June 1985. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Colorado. He worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for over 25 years. He was a coach throughout both sons junior baseball years. He is predeceased by a son (Christopher) and 3 brothers (Raymond, Bertrand, and Gerard Leclerc). He leaves his wife, Kathy, and two sons, Ryan and Nathan, his brother Robert and sister-in-law Antonia, and sister-in-law Carol, a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dave and Deb Bowman, and multitude of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Russ's name to the American Cancer Society, 10065 E. Harvard Ave. #400, Denver, CO 80231. www.cancer.org.
