Hon. Charles Stevens Russell

It is with great sorrow that we announce the peaceful passing of the Honorable Charles S. Russell, of Cedarfield in Richmond, VA, on February 28, 2026. He died a few days after celebrating his 100th birthday with his family and close friends.  A devoted father and grandfather, he is survived by his son Charles Stevens Russell, Jr. and wife Susan Wilbar Russell of St. Thomas, USVI, his son David Tyler Russell and wife Sue Ellen Russell of Annapolis, MD, and his grandchildren, Charles Wilbar Russell of Fishersville, VA and Kathleen Elizabeth Russell of Frederick, MD. 

Charles was born in Richmond, Virginia but his family soon moved to Arlington, Virginia.  From an early age he led a life of public service, receiving an appointment to the U.S. Senate Page School. He attended Senators during the Joint Session of Congress on December 8, 1941 and heard  FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech. When he graduated as valedictorian of his class, he  received his diploma from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Charles attended the University of Virginia at age 16, and was a member of the US Navy ROTC V12 Unit,  a brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the Raven Society, the NROTC Band and the University of Virginia Glee Club, among other activities and leadership positions. He obtained his BA degree in History, and his law degree from UVA in  5 years, graduating from law school in 1948, and remained a student of history throughout his lifetime.

Immediately after law school, he served on the Destroyer USS Hugh Purvis as Executive Officer, primarily in the Caribbean. He met his beloved wife Carolyn Elizabeth Abrams (“Callie”), who was in the first class of 27 women selected and commissioned as US Naval Officers upon college graduation. They married in 1951 while Charles was on leave and they honeymooned in Havana, Cuba.

During the Korean war he served as Executive Officer on Minesweeper, USS Hornbill, based out of Pearl Harbor. After active duty, he remained in the Naval Reserves for a total of 20 years, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

He was hired as an associate with  Jesse, Phillips, Kling & Kendrick in Arlington in 1951, and he remained with that firm for 16 years, with William L. Winston and Charles H. Duff as partners.  He became an experienced condemnation litigator representing the Commonwealth in highway condemnations for initial construction of I-495 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, I-66 and Rt. 267, the Dulles Access Road.

His judicial career began when he was appointed to the Arlington Circuit Court bench in 1967, mentored by Judges Walter McCarthy and Bill Winston, where he served with Judge

Winston for the entirety of his tenure. They were later joined by Judge Charlie Duff and Judge Paul D. Brown.

From 1977 to 1981, he also served as an adjunct Professor teaching trial advocacy at the International School of Law, which later became the George Mason University Law School in Arlington. He worked with his friend and former colleague, Til Hazel, to convince George Mason University to acquire the law school in 1978.

In 1982, Charles was appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court, with bipartisan support spearheaded by Virginia State Senators Edward Holland and Douglas Wilder. He was an accomplished legal writer, and he authored many landmark opinions during his tenure on the Court. He was known for his camaraderie and mentorship. He also taught Judges in the National Judicial College, in Reno, NV and at NYU. 

During his lifetime, he was an accomplished sailor and navigator, navigating on Al Van Metre’s racing yachts, including the famed Running Tide in numerous ocean races, one of which was the memorable Newport to Bermuda Race during Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Over the years, he sailed his own boats, Venture, Wahoo and Chesapeake Light throughout the Chesapeake and beyond, inspiring many others to become sailors, including his sons.

He retired in 1992 and sailed for a decade with Callie on Chesapeake Light through the Caribbean to South America and back.  In 2010, he authored “Chesapeake Light, Cruising Under Sail From Deltaville, Virginia to South America And Back Via The ICW, The Bahamas And The Islands Of The Eastern Caribbean”, which chronicled their sailing adventures.

After returning from their Caribbean cruise, he was regularly recalled to take Circuit Court designations across the Commonwealth. In 2008, he was appointed by Chief Justice Leroy Hassell as a Senior Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court where he served until 2024.

He was also a dedicated family man. Thanks to his grandfather, Charlie was an avid fisherman, and he enjoyed annual fishing trips with his family at Wheaton’s Lodge in Forest City, Maine for many years. He and his sons maintained their beloved TR 4’s together. He was also a beekeeper, a winemaker, and a lover of single malt scotch and classical music. 

A service will be held in his honor at St.Albans Anglican Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 28, 2026 at 11:00 AM, with a reception to follow, and his ashes will be interred with Callie’s at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to Child Fund International are encouraged.