Fanita McMillan Chambers Russell

She attended Mary Baldwin College and SMU prior to her marriage on Oct. 19, 1940 to William Henderson Russell Jr., a lawyer in San Antonio, where they lived.

Before Fanita entered the nursing home, she was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, North American Chapter of Colonial Dames, Laurel Heights Garden Club, Battle of Flowers Parade Committee, San Antonio Conservation Society, Junior League of San Antonio, San Antonio Country Club, Bright Shawl and Northwood Presbyterian Church.

In the late 1950s, she started the Russell Sewing Group at Santa Rosa Hospital, where members, affectionately known to Fanita as the "women," made yarn dolls, hand puppets called Maisey's and other toys for the children. The last decade they were responsible for making an average of 40-50 sacks nightgowns for the newborns at the hospital every Monday except for holidays.

During Fiesta, Fanita helped decorate and made yellow paper roses. She would start that project in the fall and have those flowers that she made by the time Fiesta began.

She had a special opportunity to pin one of her yellow paper roses on John Wayne at the premiere of his movie The Alamo. Fanita later commented that she did not know that he was that tall and handsome in real life.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by a daughter, Fanita Russell Fletcher and sister, Adele Chambers Marshall and husband, Osa Wesley Marshall.

She is survived by her daughter, Nell Ellen Russell Weber and son-in-law, Stephen J. Weber of San Antonio; grandsons, Frank William 'Cody' Russell of Austin and wife, Jill Hays Russell; and Sam Chambers Russell of San Antonio; and by nephews, Wes Marshall of Austin and Jay Marshall of Dallas and their families.