Allen Eugene "Gene" Russell

A Memorial Service is scheduled for Sunday (July 28) in the Chapel at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home, 6900 Lawndale St., Houston, Texas 77023 (P.H.: 713-928-5141). Visitation is at 1 p.m., followed by the service at 2 p.m., conducted by Rev. Cheryl Smith.

A native Houstonian, Russell represented many things in his lifetime so full of achievements. He was a true Texan to the core. A successful real estate businessman, philanthropist, rancher, and baseball front office executive, Gene was highly regarded for his honesty and attention to detail.

Born on June 29, 1931, to Allen Henry Russell and Jewell Marie (Brown), Gene was quite proud of the fact he was one of the first babies delivered at the then-new Methodist Hospital in downtown Houston. He was the oldest of three Russell children, a sister, Jeanell Marie (Fairchild); and a brother, Wayne. He is survived by his brother, Wayne Russell, Sr.; nephews, Wayne (Russ) Russell, Jr., Billy Russell, and Chris Russell; plus nieces, Linda Fairchild Perez, Debra Jo Fairchild, and Anne Marie Russell Hicks; along with great-nieces and nephews.

His late uncle, Frank Russell, first introduced Gene to the commercial real estate business, and through diligent work over the years, the business prospered. Looking back on Nov. 20, 1952, Gene made what he called the best acquisition he ever made, marrying the love of his life, Loretta Jean Wolf. They shared almost 67 years together, working side-by-side in all of Gene's endeavors, from real estate to baseball to the establishment of the Gene and Loretta Russell Park in Baytown.

Because Gene and Loretta enjoyed some of their most significant real estate success in Baytown, they elected to give something back to the city. A generous donation for a public park to serve the area led to the Baytown Parks and Recreation Department and City Council naming the facility near North Main and Wallisville Road the Gene and Loretta Russell Park. Gene had worked on expanding the acreage of the park up until his death, utilizing funding from the foundation that had been formed to sustain the property.

From 1972-1995, Gene and Loretta owned the Russell River Ranch, a 525-acre spread located on the San Marcos River north of the Palmetto State Park. They hosted a wide variety of functions on the property over the 23 years they owned it and made many friends in the area.

An avid golfer, Gene joined Champions Golf Club in 1967 and played golf into his 80s. He was on a first-name basis with Champions co-founders, Jack Burke and Jimmy Demaret, both members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Russells lived full and happy lives in homes adjacent to the famed Cypress Creek Course at Champions where they often hosted social events. Many of those social events were in conjunction with high-profile events at the Club. Champions Golf Club hosted the Ryder Cup Matches, both the Men's and Women's U.S. Opens, five Houston Open P.G.A. Tour events, five season-ending P.G.A. TOUR Championships, plus a Men's U.S. Amateur and two Women's Mid-Amateur Championships.

Throughout those years Gene and Loretta had season tickets to the Astros, Oilers, and Rockets, entertaining clients and friends. They also supported Gene's alma mater the University of Houston as season ticket holders for football and basketball. The Russell household always featured big-screen TVs that would be the envy of any sports bar. When Loretta's eyesight began to decline, she continued to ardently follow her favorite teams on those big-screen televisions at their home.

Of course, baseball was inherently in Gene's D.N.A. stemming from his father's involvement. His dad, Allen, was voted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 and had a storied career in professional baseball. Back in the 1950s, Allen was the president and general manager of the Texas League Houston Buffs and Beaumont Exporters. Gene worked with his dad as a youngster, selling concessions and cleaning up old Buff Stadium. He also played in the summer league for Houston high schools, which his dad founded. Gene graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1949.

Gene held front-office positions with the Austin Senators, Alpine Cowboys, Jacksonville Jets, and Houston's first Major League team, the Colt 45s. Baseball legend Gabe Paul named Gene the General Manager of the Jacksonville Jets, the Colt 45s' first minor league team affiliate. To emphasize the confidence the Major League club had in Gene, G.M. Paul only gave him 24 hours to get his affairs in order before heading to Jacksonville to build that franchise from scratch.

While his front-office positions were the culmination of Gene's years of baseball work, he played quite a bit of sandlot ball as a youngster. In the summers as he grew older, Gene played company baseball. Back in the day, companies like Shell Oil had teams that traveled and competed with other company-sponsored squads around southeast Texas. While attending the University of Houston, Gene batted second on the Cougar Nine which became the first U.H. team to advance to the College World Series in 1953.

Gene graduated from the University of Houston in 1954 with a business degree. He joined the U.S. Army and served as a First Lieutenant, Quartermaster Corps. After his tour of duty in the Army, Gene re-joined his father in the "business of baseball."

This eventually led to many friendships and opportunities while the Mercury and Apollo space programs were developing. One of the highlights was joining in the festivities at Cape Canaveral for the launching of the Apollo 11 moon landing. While Gene was with the Colt 45s, Loretta co-hosted an event in a special hospitality box for five of the original Mercury astronauts and their wives, (Alan/Louise Shepherd, John/Annie Glenn Jr., Gus/Betty Grissom, Scott/Rene Carpenter and Deke/Marge Slayton) during a Colt 45s-Dodgers game. It was one of the first public events that these Mercury astronauts attended. The fans at the game were only made aware of their presence when announced by Colt 45s owner, Judge Roy Hofheinz, in the seventh inning.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Gene and Loretta Russell Foundation, 15814 Champion Forest Dr., #88, Spring, Texas 77379. All donations will be used for the benefit of The Gene and Loretta Russell Park in Baytown, Texas.

Gene valued long-term relationships with those in his employ. The family is especially grateful for the care, compassion, and love of the efforts of LaDonna Nobbe, Gene's assistant for over 17 years. He also surrounded himself for decades with a longtime loyal support staff – Tom Wegener and Juan Gonzales, Denise Finnegan, and Misty Burkeen.

Pallbearers are Wayne Russell, Russ Russell, Chris Russell, Burt Darden, Larry Bell, and Kevin Bell. Honorary pallbearers – Billy Russell, Stephen DonCarlos, Tom Wegener, Juan Gonzales, Dale Nijoka, Matthew Nobbe, and John Finnegan.