Russell Moore Bardin Jr.

Russell M. Bardin, age 80, died Thursday, January 14, 2016 after a long, brave fight with cancer. The family is receiving friends at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home in Kennesaw on Tuesday, January 19th from 5-8pm. Funeral service will be held Wednesday, January 20, with Chaplain Larry Robert officiating beginning at 11am. Graveside service will follow at 2pm with full military honors being rendered at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton.

In upstate New York in Albany, Russ was born to Russell and Elizabeth Bardin. He and his sister, Kari, enjoyed living in the small town of Schenectady and later relocated to Buffalo. He joined the Boy Scouts when he was just 8 years old and stayed involved with scouting long into his adulthood. He earned every badge BSA offered and obtained the rank Eagle Scout in high school. He was 6'2" by the time he was in 8th grade and played on the high school football and wrestling teams as well as the riflery team. After high school he attended Florida State University playing football and trying to remember to go to class. Afterwards, he enlisted in the Army.

In his professional life, Russ was a career patriot having served our country for 37 years beginning in 1954 with the Army in Germany and serving at SHAPE Headquarters in Fontainebleau, France. In the 1970's he returned to active duty with the Air Force Reserve as a Reserve Recruiter based out of Dobbins Air Force Base with short stints at Minot AFB in North Dakota and Robins AFB in Warner Robins, GA, completing his career with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant.

In his private life, Russ was a man of many hobbies enjoying countless hours on his various boats on Lake Allatoona with his friends from the Yacht Club. At home if he wasn't floating around the pool in the backyard, he was working on building something in the basement. He loved watching FSU football games, MASH, any war movie ever made (at least twice), Britcoms on PBS and more recently, NCIS and Duck Dynasty. Above all else, he watched Financial News Network like most men watch ESPN. Nothing like the NASDAQ ticker tape crawling across the screen on FNN to make him happy! Later in life, he acquired a passion for genealogy and spent countless hours researching his ancestors and even taking trips around the country to gather detailed information and pictures.

However, it was after he retired that he got the chance to focus on his true sense adventure and travel the world over with Mary. They took complete advantage of their Space A travel benefits and explored nearly every corner of the world. His favorite place was New Zealand but enjoyed each of his long trips to all 50 states, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Australia, and Africa, just to name a few. He would come back telling tales of all the different people he met - not letting a language barrier get in the way and making a friend out of every cab driver who ever took him on a ride. While Mary was interested in the local landmarks and famous churches, Russ was more interested in talking to the local workers and sharing a beer with a new friend.

He is survived by the love of his life, Mary Bardin with whom he enjoyed a "trial marriage of 53 years", as he liked to say. His son and daughter in law – Rusty and Michele Bardin, daughter and son in law – Kathy and Don Lucas, and his grandchildren – Paula, Joey, Ashley, and Lizzie will all miss him more than words can say. His was a life well lived and his love for his country and family blanketed all that he did.