Viola Russell

Russell, Viola H.
Age 89, of Stillwater
Passed away peacefully on December 27, 2014. Viola was born near Garretson, South Dakota, on March 7, 1925. She attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, graduating in 1946 with a BS in math and physics. She was employed by the Minnesota Highway Department for nine years as an engineer, becoming the first woman in the state to earn a Civil Engineer rating. She met her husband, Jim, at the Highway Department, and they were married in 1956. Together they designed and built their home on the North Hill in Stillwater, where they raised their two daughters, Mary and Dorothy.

Vi became a volunteer early in her married life, serving in ladies circle at Trinity Lutheran Church and as a Gray Lady with the Red Cross. She was a Girl Scout troop leader in the St. Croix Valley throughout the 1960s, and was active in Scouting for the rest of her life. In 1971 she became the first paid employee of the Community Volunteer Service in Stillwater, serving as executive director until she retired in 1991. She was a founding member of the Minnesota Association of Volunteer Directors and was active in local organizations including League of Women Voters, Business and Professional Women's Association, and the American Association of University Women, serving as their newsletter editor for many years. She traveled extensively in the US and abroad, visiting more than 40 countries on 6 continents and spending time with her family in Denmark.

She is survived by her daughters Mary Russell and Dorothy (Peder) Knudsen, her granddaughters, Helena, Anna, and Elisa Knudsen, sister Ruth (Joe) Picasso, and many nieces, nephews, and friends. Preceded in death by her parents, Stella and Henry Hanson, sisters Mary Lou (Mike) Martinez and Doris (Paul) Nystrom, and brother John (Marilyn) Hanson. Special thanks to the staff at Good Samaritan Section 3 and St. Croix Hospice. Vi touched lives around the world. She was loved and will be missed. Memorials are requested to the charities of your choice.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 4 at 11 AM at BRADSHAW CELEBRATION OF LIFE CENTER, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd. (NW corner of HWY 36 & Co Rd 5), Stillwater. Visitation Saturday, January 3 from 3-8 PM at BRADSHAW and one hour prior to and following the service. Interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Memorials Preferred to donor's favorite charity.