Patricia B. Russell

She was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on March 8, 1931, to Norman Frederick Begien and Helen Hayes Begien, the first of their two children. She graduated from Keene High School in 1949. Shortly after, she married the late Ronald Russell, a devoted husband, father, and former New Hampshire state legislator, with whom she had five children.

She spent her life serving her community, whether at the local, state, or national levels, to bring a voice to those who did not have one. Her four-decade long, distinguished career spanned from serving six terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, three terms on the Keene City Council, two terms as mayor of Keene, notably as the city’s first ever-female mayor, and for ten years as commissioner of the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission. She also served on President Clinton's Council for Developmental Disabilities. In addition, she was a staunch democrat, serving for 12 years as a member of the Democratic National Committee as well as chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party Executive Committee. In recognition of her remarkable contributions to New Hampshire, she was a recipient of the prestigious Granite State Award.

To her family, she was a stalwart matriarch and pillar of strength who embodied wisdom, candor, and compassion. She believed in striving to do one’s best, learning from life’s failures, and always looking ahead. She inspired family and friends alike through her steadfast commitment to community and trailblazing civic activism. She has left an indelible mark on our lives.

She is survived by her five children, Mark Russell and his wife, Ellen, of Cape Elizabeth, ME, Pamela Russell Slack, of Keene, John Russell, of Lakeland, FL, Christopher Russell and his wife, Janet, of Keene, Kevin Russell, of Keene; ten grandchildren, Anne Slack and her husband, Nicolas Keefe, of Arlington, VA, Elizabeth Slack and her husband, Eric Clark, of Keene, Joshua Russell and his wife, Helen, of Hangzhou, China, Jared Russell, of Boston, MA, Samuel Slack and his wife, Katelynn, of Keene, Mark Russell, of Cape Elizabeth, ME, William Russell, of Cape Elizabeth, ME, Taylor Russell, of Boston, MA, Cameron Russell, of Keene, Kaily Russell, of Keene; two great grandchildren, William Keefe, of Arlington, VA, and Joseph Slack, of Keene; and a sister, Brenda Demers and her husband, Roland, of Manchester, NH; and many extended family members and close friends.

A Mass of Memorial will be celebrated Friday, February 26 at 11:30AM in St. Margaret Mary Church, 33 Arch Street, Keene, NH. Burial in the St. Joseph Cemetery, Keene, will be private. Family and friends are invited to call on the evening of Thursday, February 25 from 4:00PM to 7:00PM at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene.

For those who wish, flowers may be sent to the Foley Funeral Home or donations may be made in Mrs. Russell’s memory to Monadnock Developmental Services, 121 Railroad Street, Keene, NH 03431, or to Rise for Baby and Family, 147 Washington Street, Keene, NH 03431.