Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson, 95, of Windsor Heights, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, June 28, 2025. A graveside service will be taking place Monday, June 30, 2025, at 2:30 P.M. at Glendale Cemetery.

Russell WilsonAugust 10, 1929 to June 28, 2025
Graveside service June 30, 2025Masonic Cemetery in Glendale CemeteryDes Moines, Iowa

Devotional Service

Connie daughter

Welcome and thank you all so much for coming today to celebrate Dad’s life with us in this sacred spot, under this oak tree, and under the pine tree that my son, Max, and his father and I planted years ago.

I would like to introduce you to dad’s family members who are here. Most of you know me, Connie, his oldest daughter; his son Bruce; daughters Clarice and Kristin. His granddaughter Avalan, her partner Christian who has helped take care of dad for months and her mom, JoBeth. His granddaughter Kevalin, husband Gerald and baby Lua Naomi. His grandson, Max, and his beloved little sister and best friend, Jeanette.

Dad had an even larger chosen family and right at the top of the list is Sean, his dear friend, fishing buddy and money magician; Stacie who cared for him and responded to his every whim for the last couple of years; Jenny, Kerry, her mom, and Janelle who started this journey of care for mom and dad with us five years ago; and his hospice workers Jen, Jenna and Mike and his honorary hospice granddaughters Megan and Hillary, who he loved dearly.

Mike Hospice chaplain and Otto the dog who visited dad often

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Gerald son-in-law

Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of AssisiLord, make me an instrument of your peace:where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light;where there is sadness, joy.O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seekto be consoled as to console,to be understood as to understand,to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive,it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

A number of Russ’s descendants are members of the Bahá’í Faith and we take great comfort in the Bahá’í perspective that death is a messenger of Joy.

Kevalin granddaughter

O Thou Provider, O Thou Forgiver! A noble soul hath ascended unto the Kingdom of reality, and hastened from the mortal world of dust to the realm of everlasting glory. Exalt the station of this recently arrived guest, and attire this long-standing servant with a new and wondrous robe.

O Thou Peerless Lord! Grant Thy forgiveness and tender care so that this soul may be admitted into the retreats of Thy mysteries and may become an intimate companion in the assemblage of splendors. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Ever-Loving. Thou are the Pardoner, the Tender, the Most Powerful. ‘Abdu’l-Baha

Avalan granddaughter

And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving-kindness and bounty.

Man is destined by God to undergo a spiritual development that extends throughout eternity. His life upon this earth is only the first stage of that development. When we outgrow our physical form, and are considered by God ready to reap the fruit of our spiritual development, we proceed to the other world. We term it death only because of our short sightedness. A more proper term would be ‘a more abundant life.’ It is a forward step we have taken.

Service and Obituary

Connie daughter

Russell Lynn Wilson passed away on June 28, 2025 in his home of 61 years in Windsor Heights, Iowa. He was clear minded until the very end and never missed a chance to ask me or call Sean to check how the stock market was or request a trip to Tasty Tacos.

Russ was born August 10, 1929 in Fort Scott, Kansas to George A. and Ina J. Wilson. He spent the first six years of his life with his parents living in a makeshift “apartment” in the storeroom in the back of his Grandma Sadie’s grocery store. There were no plumbing facilities. He was often alone there, waiting for his parents to return from work. Feelings of loneliness from those days persisted in frequent feelings of loneliness as an adult and helps to explain why he savored time with friends and family and talked to people wherever he went. He was thrilled when his baby sister, Jeanette arrived when he was 8 and he became her protector and her best friend.

In kindergarten he got diphtheria that turned into rheumatic fever. He barely survived and as a result, he missed so much school that he was put in the “C” class and was aware that he was in what the other students called the “dumb” class. An inferiority complex resulted from that experience that haunted him throughout his schooling until a faculty member at Clarinda (Iowa) Junior College arranged for him to take an IQ test and it revealed that his IQ was high and this thoughtful professor told him that he had potential! That changed his life and he went on to take on and overcome many challenges in his life.

Russ graduated from Ft. Scott high school in 1947 and enrolled in classes at the Junior College in Ft. Scott. He went on to receive his BA degree from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa, and his Master of Divinity from the Theological Seminary at the University of Dubuque, in Dubuque, Iowa. Several years ago, the Seminary let him know that he had actually completed the coursework required for a PhD and said all that he needed to do was write a thesis. At that point, he decided it was a little too late but he loved knowing he’d managed to get this close to having his doctorate.

After high school, he went to Findlay College in Ohio, a Church of God related college, to prepare for the ministry. June Turner had attended a church youth rally in Fort Scott, dad’s home town, during the summer before he went to Findlay and his buddy, Tom, had spent time with her and was impressed. He told Russ about her and showed him her picture and he was also impressed. So when Russ arrived in Findlay he made a point to connect with her. They dated and had good times. He fell in love with her. He once said, “ Spending time with June was my salvation,” a theme that was evident throughout his life! In the spring he proposed to her and they were married in Fort Scott in 1949 and were together for the next 75 years, until her death in February, 2024

Once when asked what the secret was to their many years of marriage, Russ answered, “Marry the right person.” He certainly did.

June and Russ began their life in Enid, Oklahoma where Russ attended college. They then moved to Shambaugh, Iowa where he served both as the minister and the janitor in the Church of God for a salary of $1,200 a year. He moved on to serve in the Church of God in Ida Grove, Iowa and after being ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1960 served churches in Edgewood, Clinton, Waterloo, State Center, Iowa and worked for a time for the Bishop and the United Methodist headquarters when they settled in Windsor Heights in 1966.

Serving in Ida Grove opened one of the most cherished chapters of his life when he met then recovering alcoholic and truck driver, Harold Hughes. They became fast friends and as Hughes rose quickly in the political scene to become Governor of Iowa in 1963, he invited Russ to serve on the Board of Control, a policy making and administrative board for thirteen state institutions including prisons, juvenile homes and mental hospitals. At 35 years old, this was a huge challenge that he attacked head on and in the next 4 years accomplished much alongside Hughes including writing the proposal for creating the first alcohol and drug treatment program in the Iowa prison system­—in one week—and receiving a million dollar grant for the program from Sargent Shriver in Washington, DC.

In his 80s, he and his dear friend Bill Hedlund, who is here today, wrote a memoir of their time working with Hughes called In His Own Words, The Harold Hughes Story—a personal accomplishment for which both of them were extremely and justifiably proud—letting us all know how much they both loved and admired this good man. Dad was pleased to be asked along with Bill to be interviewed for a public television special called Governor’s of Iowa, Harold Hughes that is available on the IPTV website.

He loved his family.

It is really difficult to write anything about dad without mention of our mom. They seemed inseparable, and it did nearly everything together.

They raised four strong willed and independent children. During the 1960s when Dad worked with Governor Harold Hughes, together the two of them investigated different spiritual belief systems and that gave us all tacit permission to explore on our own, which we have.

He instilled a great love of the outdoors in all of us. We grew up camping in a homemade camper, usually on a lake or in the mountains. He taught us to fish, to canoe, to sail, and one of our most precious memories—and I know his—is a week we all spent together as a family in the boundary waters as adults...and lived to tell the story.

Clarice daughter

I remember one camping vacation when they went to Yellowstone and there were reports of a lot of bears coming into the campground that year. Dad, who had never shot a gun in his life, borrowed a handgun from a neighbor and put it in the glove box, unloaded, and put the bullets in the camper. We kids could not figure out how that was going to work if a bear came into campground. But apparently the gun idea worked because no bears came around. But Dad was so worried about the gun the whole trip that it colored his vacation experience.

Even though we lived on a meager minister’s salary until I was in fifth grade and lived in church parsonages, we never seemed to go without the things that we really needed, and for that we are all very grateful. We each got two new outfits at the beginning of the school year, always from Sears—and that was enough. But until this day, I can’t bear to wear anything plaid. Dad worked very hard and he instilled and modeled a frugality in each of us that we each carry on.

When I was setting up the funeral arrangements, they asked, “What about flowers?” My instinctual response was to ask, “How much would that cost?” They said, “Just give us a budget and a color and the florist will take care of it.” I paused just long enough that I could hear my dad’s voice in my head saying, “Well, you can get two dozen roses at Costco for $19.99,” and there they are! (pointing to the roses on the table)

He loved wood and woodworking.

He loved canoes and boats and planes. Together he and my mother built a number of wooden strip canoes and his favorite hours were spent in his wood shop, usually working on or fixing something for one of his kids.

He would be especially appreciative of this beautiful simple pine box casket, handmade in Hibbing, Minnesota and transported here in my Prius. Not only is it beautifully crafted, but it was very affordable! When we took it to the funeral home yesterday, Connie didn’t want to drive separately so she climbed in the back with the casket sitting backwards and leaning against the drivers seat—and we have the photos to prove it! (Simplepinebox.com)

Connie daughter

The plane on the table is a model dad made of a Grumman Albatross that he flew in half way around the world in the London to Sydney Centenary Air Race in 2001 with his good friend Lyle Cambell. This trip was one of the highlights of his life and he was glad to bend your ear about it and share his slide show any time he could.

When he worked for the State, both he and Governor Hughes shared an apprehension about flying. Hughes told the pilot to teach Russ how to fly the plane, which he did, and dad lost his fear, knowing that he could land the thing if he needed to. He received his solo license and was eager to fly anywhere the rest of this life whether he was flying the plane or not.

Clarice daughter

Dad loved music.

He said that several times a year and always on his dad’s birthday, he and several friends would gather for a potluck supper and a music jam. His dad played harmonica. Friends played banjo, violin, blew on jug, or played the spoons. They played old time Mountain music. His parents had lovely voices and would harmonize and sing together, especially after Dad learned to play the piano. Russ had a rich baritone voice and sang often in school and church choirs. In high school he formed a band. His sister, Jeanette, remembers that they were making t-shirts for the band and as a joke, he wrote ‘Gus’ instead of ‘Russ’ on his shirt and it stuck...the band became the ‘Gus Wilson Band’ and they played at dances and public events.

Dad was not an accomplished pianist but could pound out those chords and we kids all remember him playing his infamous rendition of the Battle Hymn of Republic and breaking into “I wear my silk pajamas in the summer when its hot. I wear my flannel nightie in the winter when its not—hot. And sometimes in the springtime and sometimes in the fall, I jump between the sheets with nothing on at all...” As kids we thought this was so racey and begged him to sing it again and again.

He loved big band music and he passed his appreciation of music onto his children. We always had music in the house and music lessons and we sang grace in harmony every evening around the dinner table.

Connie daughter

He loved the environment

He and mom spent hours together planting and nurturing gardens, and in the summer we always had fresh vegetables and berries for dinner. In later years one of the things he loved most to plant was trees. He collected acorns for the state and he grew tiny oaks in Dixie cups until they were big enough to plant outside. When my parents bought the property where we grew up in Windsor Heights there was a forest of elm trees in the back yard. We lost them all to Dutch elm disease and one of his goals was to replace that with an oak forest. In 2020 the derecho wiped out three of our 100-year-old walnut trees and that increased his passion to recreate the forest. As recently as three months ago, he had helpers planting trees in his huge backyard and you could not be in the house for more than 10 minutes before he was asking you to go water his trees, even in the last few weeks. Just ask his caregivers Stacie or Christian or his beloved hospice workers Megan and Hillary. Everyone got asked and had a chance to water the now over 54 trees he has growing in the back yard.

A friend once said of our dad, “Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they may never sit.”

He loved sweets.

Dad wrote: “Jenny, a single woman who lived with my grandparents, was sweet and kind to me. Every Saturday she would bake a 3-layer cake and put it in the old-fashioned cupboard. Every Sunday noon, she cut a generous piece of cake and saved it for me. As soon as church and lunch was over at my house I ran over to get my cake. To this day, cake is one of my favorite desserts,” ...and pecan rolls (from La Mie) and cinnamon rolls and strawberry shortcake. He never met a Danish he didn’t love.

He was a born fundraiser.

During his years as a minister he raised money for each congregation where he worked and wrote a book called The Millionaire in the Pew to pass on his wisdom on to other ministers. After working with Governor Hughes in the late 1960s, dad worked for the United Methodist Headquarters and began doing fundraising for churches and Methodist camps. From 1978 to 1989 he was Assistant to the President of Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, doing development work for ten years before moving back home to Des Moines to the home we grew up. He then went to work for the Foundation at Iowa State University where he raised millions of dollars each year for the School of Agriculture there, including the money to purchase and develop the land for the Ryman Gardens in Ames. We took him there this last Christmas to see the lights and he was amazed and so very proud of what he had helped to create.

Clarice daughter

Dad really believed in service and in building community

When I was in kindergarten in Clinton, Iowa, my parents invited everyone in the church who didn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving dinner to come to our house. Now the six of us lived in a tiny suburban parsonage that was so small that it didn’t even have a dining room so we set up tables and chairs in the unfinished basement. Either the turkey was too big or the oven was too small but it wouldn’t fit so my dad cut the frozen turkey in half with a hand saw on the kitchen table so it would—and mom baked one half after another. And it’s a good thing that she did because sixty people showed up for dinner.

Dad was always inviting people home—and often they were a surprise to mom.

On one memorable occasion on Christmas Eve when I was in 4th grade, he brought home two teens from the Eldora Juvenile Home. He’d been there that day as part of his work on the state Board of Control which oversaw all the state institutions and he invited them to spend Christmas with our family—without checking in with mom first. She covered her surprise well but I remember the scrambling behind the scenes to make sure these youth had gifts under the tree like everyone else. The jewelry box and perfume that dad had bought for mom went to the girl who was our guest. I don’t remember what went to the boy but it was undoubtedly something my mother had planned to give my dad. They had such generous spirits.

When I was in 6th grade, a man who’d just gotten out of prison who my father had befriended and believed had been wrongly accused, asked my parents for a loan of $5,000 to start his own auto repair business—and they gave it to him. It was probably most, if not all, of their savings at the time. What makes this story even better is that this was a black man, it was the 1960s and my parents were avid civil rights advocates. They showed us by doing things such supporting this man that you need to live what you believe.

Since retirement, service was what filled my parents’ days with meaning. They collected clothing for the Molton Elementary School and helped Mertze Anderson, a friend of Connie’s, start a clothing closet for the students there. Right across the street was Trinity Lutheran Church and dad helped them raise the money to renovate their sanctuary and support their children’s programs. Both of these places are in the neighborhood where their granddaughter, Avalan, my niece, now lives and works doing Bahá’í community building which makes a sweet full circle.

My parents collected blankets for the homeless. They collected food for food shelves. They hated to see anything go to waste.

We remember dad realizing that the bakery around the corner was throwing a lot of day- old bread away every night in the dumpster behind the store. He couldn’t reach far enough to grab the bread so every night after dark with his fishing pole rigged up to catch and reel in the bread, he would head for the dumpster. The owner finally realized what he was up to and told him he would just set it out for him and from then on, the homeless shelter got even more bread every day.

One of their memorable acts of service was collecting the ground fall apples from a local orchard, filling the huge pull-behind trailer dad had built to the brim with bushels and bushels of apples, taking them home, washing and packing them and delivering them to food shelves. They did this for many years. The last time they went, which was just a few years ago when they were both in their nineties, they took a group of Bahá’í youth with them to help. This is just one example of their compassion for those who had less than they did.

One of the things that dad was most proud of was that he and mom were able to save money and invest. They didn’t start saving until their mid-50s because they put the four of us through college and mom completed her college degree in her 50s. When she had her first full time job after graduating, they took all of her salary and invested it and were very proud to be able to build a solid financial base that allowed them to live comfortably in their retirement and continue to support causes they believed in.

I lived in a village in India for some time while working on my PhD research and one of my biggest allies in the community development I was doing was an amazing woman named Indu-Bai. When my parents came to India, these three became fast friends even though they didn’t share a language. They were the same age, about 60 at the time, and my folks wanted to help her in some way when they learned that she had been married off in an arranged marriage at the age of 12 to a man who abused her. She had left him at age 16 with no financial resources of her own and had lived a hard life. For years after their visit to India, my parents sent Indu-Bai $50 every month thinking that she was using it to live on. But she wasn’t. Instead, she saved the money until she had enough to hire a lawyer and sue her husband for her rightful share of the family land—and she won and let my parents know that she was now set for the rest of her life thanks to the support they had given her.

We want to invite you all to a reception following at Russ’s home featuring his favorite things, Tasty Tacos and strawberry shortcake on the lawn.

Clarice daughter

Dad was an advocate for the underdog and for justice.

Some of my dearest friends and chosen family are a couple, Roberto and Patricia, who immigrated from Mexico, and their four children. My parents loved this family and when my mom and dad came to visit me in Minneapolis, they would throw a party for them complete with authentic Mexican food which, every time, my dad would say in the car ride on the way home, “It just does not measure up to Tasty Tacos!” because, of course, Tasty Tacos’ offerings have no relation to authentic Mexican food!

My dad wrote a letter to President Biden on behalf of this family, urging him to create a pathway to citizenship for this hard-working immigrant family and all the others who have made such essential contributions to our country. And he received a personal letter back from the President’s office and he shared both letters with Roberto and Patricia.

The final thing we want to share about dad today is Patricia’s response to learning that dad had died.

“I feel so fortunate to have met your mom and dad, Clarice. They were both so kind and generous with all of us. I still can’t believe that your dad thought of writing such a

beautiful letter to the President on our behalf as immigrants. I’m sure he was relieved to learn that we got our immigration documents.

“I wonder how a man like your dad worried about us since we are not even a part of his family. It’s because he was one of the kindest, loveliest, most generous people God

created to show His love for us.

“God will receive your dad with arms open. Your dad is going on his way to see your

mom again. All of our thoughts will be with you and your family. Thank you for making us a part of your family and making it possible for us to meet your parents.”

____________________

We want to extend our appreciation to the entire Hospice of the Midwest team who has been lovingly taking care of dad for so many months, and before that, our mother. We offer heartfelt love and appreciation for the care that these people gave her and the support they gave to all of us.

Russ is survived by his children Connie (son Max), Bruce (daughter Avalan), Clarice (daughter Kevalin, her husband, Gerald, and great granddaughter, Lua Naomi); Kristin (son Chess, daughter Madison and her husband Alden and great granddaughters Riley and Zelda); his dear sister and best friend, Jeanette and her extended family in Kansas City; and June’s lovely family members out west who welcomed his visits with open arms. He was preceded in death by his wife of 75 years, June, and his parents, George and Ina Wilson.

And in closing...the words we heard our father say every Sunday at church....

May the Lord bless you and keep you,may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, may the Lord lift up his countenance to you and give you peace.

Oh...and Dad, you did pretty well in the market today!

The End