Iris Christine Russell

Mrs. Iris Christine Russell, 92, passed away Friday (March 3, 2023) at the Hospice House Satilla in Waycross following a short illness.
She was born on December 5, 1930 to Ludell McNeal and Ward Beecher Sloan. She graduated from Waycross High School in 1947. She and her sister, Carolyn Wilson attended nursing school in Orangeburg, SC and graduated in 1953 as Registered Nurses. Christine worked at the Atlantic Coastline Hospital and retired as an RN at Swisher King Edward Cigar Factory in 1993. She met and married James Russell from Bleckley, WV in 1953 who had come to Waycross with her brother-in-law, Everett Wilson, after serving in the United States Air Force. Christine was known for her kind, caregiving spirit. She was a member of El Bethel Church and later Grace Chapel/Grace Ministries where she served as Sunday School teacher and later board member and elder.
In addition to her parents she was also preceded in death by her husband, James Russell; two daughters, Betty Sumner and Donna Russell; a sister, Carolyn Wilson; and a brother, Jim Sloan.
She is survived by two sons, Henry Rolland Russell (wife Susan) of Fernandina Beach, FL and James "Rusty" Russell, Jr. (wife Donna) of Waycross; six grandchildren, Jerry Sumner (wife Carolina), Tim Sumner (wife Polly), Ivey Sumner Hawes (husband Mitchell), Jordan Russell (wife Brooke), Sloan Russell Fountain (husband Cole), and Jayme Russell Zachry (husband Hagen); nine great grandchildren, Johanna Sumner, Camilla Sumner, Eli Russell, Cooper Fountain, Liam Sumner, David Grey Russell, Charlie Fountain, Logan Sumner, and Titus Russell; a sister, Shirley Grantham of Waycross; special caretakers, Della Arnold, Mazie Williams, Beverly Hill, and a niece Cynthia Eddings; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday (March 6, 2023) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery. The family will begin receiving friends at the funeral home on Monday at 10:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, GA 31501.