Dale Blair Russell

So glad I got to see you the month before you passed..while I was visiting Oregon in 2014...Sorry I didn't get to know you better...One thing I was always sure of was that you were a great brother to my mother...RIP I'm sure...Kenny

Thoughts to Dale's family.
I still can't walk by his home without wishing he'd be there. He had a huge presence in such a short time of talking and laughing with him.

Having just moved into a new neighborhood and possessing a bouncy pomeranian, I had the blessing of meeting 'Russ', as he asked me to call him, after he'd just turned 88 while out at the sidewalk with the lawnmower quickly turned off. We rapidly discovered having a shared industry, timber, between his steamboat towing and 'my' company's log rafts on the local rivers. It was great! He even let me view his photographs and trade memorabilia. I loved his laugh and friendliness he freely shared...

I met Dale Russell for the first time about 8 years ago. Although senior in years, he was determined to make the most out of every interaction and leave nothing unsaid. A raconteur to the very end, I enjoyed his true-tales of life on the water and his fictitious tales about such things as the sidehill gouger. He was quick witted and kind. You knew what he respected – social justice, decency, and compassion, and you knew what he had little respect for – impoliteness, corruption, and...

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea"
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Farewell Grandpa Russell. You always led by example.

I met Dale through his granddaughter, Nicole. I only had the pleasure of spending time with him a handful of times, but it was easy to tell what kind of a person he was--a good man, who was upbeat, kind and upstanding. He was a loving husband and cared for his family. Dale enjoyed playing golf and cribbage, watching squirrel antics and relating his days as a pilot (and I enjoyed hearing his stories). My favorite memory with Dale is the day he, Nicole and I went to the driving range together....

Dale was one of the nicest people I have ever known.
He will be missed

Such a special friend. A sincerely caring and rare individual whom I was so fortunate to have known.
Our friendship was all too short. I will truly miss him.