Alan Park Russell, 85, loyal husband, father, and friend, died April 9.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1924 and raised in Lakewood, he lived through the depression, danced to the Big Bands, and served in the Army Medical Corps on Luzon, the Philippines.
Alan loved life and made the most of every opportunity and situation.
In 1948 he moved to Maine and was fortunate to find work he liked, from salesman for a small lobster-clambake shipping business, Saltwater Farm, to Assistant to the Directors of Knox County General Hospital and The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) in Bar Harbor. As the development officer at the Hospital and the Lab he raised millions of dollars for four capital campaigns from 1958 to 1978.
Alan cherished the friends he made through his work, especially his mentor Dr. Frank Kibbe at Knox, and he championed the science being done at Jackson Laboratory.
He left JAX after 23 years and became the Administrative Officer of The Darling Marine Center on the Damariscotta River in 1979.
Life in Maine meant learning the ways of the Maine woods and waters with Dr. Kibbe; and racing sailboats, fishing, skiing, hunting upland birds, and generally messing about on boats with his dear friend Bob Hinckley.
A writer, award winning film maker, pilot, photographer, self-taught celestial navigator, and story teller, Alan read voraciously, knew history, wrote poetry, loved music and movies.
Alan loved to debate, but did not suffer fools gladly. He had the knowledge, experience, and common sense to confidently express his opinions, but he had a keen sense of humor and laughed easily at himself. His family and friends depended on his opinions, humor, optimism and enthusiasm.
He considered himself the luckiest man alive.
He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Rose Marie; daughter, Sarah MacColl, her children, Christopher Russell MacColl and Katherine Louise MacColl; step-sons, Jonathan Taylor and Benjamin Taylor, Ben’s wife Lilah and daughters, Ruby and Gemma; and sisters, Nancy Sherman of North Carolina and Marjorie Mullen of Bay Village, Ohio.
Gathering to honor Alan’s life, 1:30 p.m., Sun., June 27 at the Willing Workers Hall, New Harbor.
Memorial contributions in Alan’s memory may be made to the Central Lincoln County YMCA, P.O. Box 787, Damariscotta, ME 04543.
