Ben S. Russell

Ben Scott Russell Jr, 92, of Roswell, Georgia passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 18 after a brief illness. Born June 8, 1924 in Macon, Georgia, he was the son of Ben Scott Russell Sr. and Emma Sutherland Russell.

Survivors include his son, Ben Scott Russell III of Atlanta, his daughter-in-law, Susan Davis of Atlanta, and his son, James Sutherland Russell of Roswell.

He graduated from Georgetown University and attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania before beginning a very successful career as a finance manager and executive.

He met his future wife, Jane Wilson of Griffin, Georgia on a blind date. They married in June, 1948, and their deep and lasting bond could only be broken by Jane Wilson Russell’s death, January 2, 2008. They had been married for 59 years at the time of her passing.

Mr. Russell worked for Westinghouse Credit Corporation from the late 1950’s until 1984. He was promoted to vice president of the company in 1974. He enjoyed an active retirement from 1984 until his recent passing. He spent much time volunteering in his community and his church. He was an avid, if not always excellent golfer from the age of 12 and continued playing into his late eighties.

He was a committed Christian in word and deed and a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church since childhood. He was a member of Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church in Sandy Springs from 1964 until 1972. After retirement, he joined Northminster Presbyterian in Roswell, and played a vital role in helping that church grow and thrive. He served as “interim” treasurer there for 21 years. He lost both his parents early in young adulthood, but he loved his in-laws, Dr. and Mrs. F. H. Wilson of Griffin, Georgia almost as much as his birth parents. He was very proud to be a member of the Wilson family by marriage, and he treasured all his sisters and brothers-in-law. He was a loving, devoted and beloved “Uncle Ben” to his nieces and nephews, and to their children also.

Mr. Russell was known for his strength of character and kind, gentle nature. He had a great sense of humor and was a gifted teller of funny, if not always strictly factual stories. Mr. Ben Russell was a devoted husband, father, uncle, congregant and friend, and his loss will be deeply felt among the many people whose lives he touched along the way.

A memorial service will be held Friday, April 28 at 2pm at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Roswell. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to North Fulton Community Charities, nfcchelp.org