Russell Charles Bleakley

Russell Charles Bleakley passed away peacefully with his daughter Lauren by his side on May 22, 2025, at the age of 79, at his home in McKinney, TX. Russell (‘Russ’ to his friends and family, ‘Dad’ to his children, and ‘Grandpa Russ’ or ‘GPR’ to his grandchildren) was born near Watford, England on June 19, 1945, to Walter Earnest Bleakley and Jean Patricia (Shipp) Bleakley. As a toddler, his family moved from England to Michigan, and then in the 1950s, his family moved to Southern California. He spent most of his life in California, Colorado, and Texas. He lived his last 10 years in McKinney, Texas, near his son and daughter and five of his grandchildren.

Russ enlisted in the US Air Force after graduating from Torrance High School in 1964 and served on the flight line working on weapons systems installed on F4 Fighter Jets during the Vietnam War. After leaving the Air Force in 1970, he began to work in various roles in the computer technology field. Russ had an incredible aptitude for troubleshooting, electronics, and computer systems, and became highly skilled in his industry. He worked for many technology companies, both large and small, in California, Texas, Colorado and Alaska.

Russ was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Jean Bleakley, and by his former wife and mother to his children and stepchildren, Lisa Bleakley. He is survived by his son Page Bleakley, his wife Andi, and their children, Evan, Molly and Maggie, of McKinney, TX ; his daughter Lauren Guenther, her husband Travis, and their children Ryan and Audrey, of Frisco, TX; his stepdaughter Tonya Staples, her husband David, and their children Nathan, Daniel and Allison, of Ventura, CA; his stepson Erin Wells and his wife Gina, of Priest River, ID; his brother Keith Bleakley, his wife Teresa, and their daughter Reece, of Juneau, AK.

Russ was baptized as a child in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and professed his Christian faith again in the weeks before his passing.

Russ had many interests and hobbies throughout the years including classical music, hi-fi audio, aviation, his pets (especially his cats), and he loved reading and cooking. He also enjoyed many trips back to England over the years. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was known for being extremely frugal but also very generous. He will be dearly missed by all those he leaves behind and will be remembered fondly for his sense of humor and wit, his generous and thoughtful gifts, and his love of all things British.