Thomas J. Russell

Thomas J. Russell, 74, of Chester, Nebraska, died Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, with his son, Andy, by his side. Tom was born May 4, 1950, in Belleville, Kansas, to Ruth Marion (Rivers Hueners) and George A. “Bud” Russell, the second of Ruth’s three children. He graduated from Chester-Hubbell High School in 1968 and went on to a career as a radio broadcast, sound system and electrical engineer. Tom was united in marriage to Glenda Kaye Pearson in Mead, Nebraska, on May 17, 1975. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Andrew Thomas Russell and Adam Robert Russell. Tom was later united in marriage to Gail Miller in Beatrice, Nebraska, on Oct. 8, 2009.

Tom had a lifelong interest and professional expertise in electricity and radio frequency, calling it a form of magic. He considered himself a good broadcast engineer working at transmitter sites for many radio stations throughout Nebraska and Kansas. But he excelled as an electrical engineer, passionate about designing and implementing electrical systems and sound and lighting systems. This work included touring with national and local performing acts, and installing sound systems at theaters and churches across the region, including the Chester Methodist Church. Tom’s career kept him on the move with stops in Kearney, Beatrice and Grand Island, Nebraska, and Hutchinson, Kansas. During an early career stop, he worked for the Chandler Lynch family owned Midtown Printing Center operating a printing press. Highlights along the way include touring as a sound system engineer for Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond, building out the studio for the KSYZ radio station in Grand Island, and building out systems for local theater troupes such as the Grand Island Little Theater and St. Stephen’s Charity Players, the Gage County, Nebraska Courthouse, and the Chester Auditorium.

Tom was known as a charismatic storyteller and for his one of a kind laughter. His greatest joy were his cats, a love inherited from his mother, Ruth, and shared with the rest of his family. Tom personally witnessed the tornado outbreak in Grand Island after sundown on June 3, 1980, where seven tornadoes touched down over a course of three hours. This outbreak was notable for the extremely slow-moving supercell storm where the tornadoes did not travel in a straight line and with three of the seven tornadoes spinning in the anticyclonic direction. The restaurant where Tom, Glenda and Andy were dining earlier that night was destroyed. When a neighbor saw Tom Russell driving home as fast as he was, they knew it was serious. In a coincidence as unlikely as the storm itself, Tom died 44 years to the Night of the Twisters.

Those left to cherish his memory include his children, Andrew Russell and Adam Russell; granddaughters, Erin Puhalla, JaeLynn Russell, and Sophie Russell; great-grandson, Landen Puhalla-Bryant; sister, Cheryl L. Fintel; nieces, Tonya (and husband, David) Freeman and Stephanie (and husband, Jeff) Beckwith; nephews Sean (and wife, Lexie) Fintel and Jeffrey Ramsbottom; the mother of his children, Glenda Russell, friend and former wife, Gail Miller; and many other family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ruth Russell; brother, James L. Ramsbottom; and grandparents, Andrew “Andy” S. and Sybil P. Russell.

His funeral will be at 11 a.m.,Saturday, June 15, at Chester Global Methodist Church in Chester. Pastor Brian Faust will be the officiant. Fellowship and lunch at the church will immediately follow the service. Inurnment will be at the Chester Cemetery in a private ceremony at a later date. Because it was Tom’s wish to be cremated, there will not be a viewing; however, the Bachelor-Surber Funeral Home in Belleville, Kansas, will be open Friday, June 14, from 1 until 5 p.m. should you choose to offer your condolences in person.

Donations may be made to the Thomas J. Russell Memorial Fund, the Methodist Church, or the Chester Emergency Medical Service. Online condolences and information at http://www.bachelor-surber.com.

Arrangements are by Bachelor-Surber Funeral Home, Belleville, Kansas.