Henry Russell Obituary

Henry Edwin Russell, M.D. JOHNS ISLAND - Henry Edwin Russell, M.D., of Johns Island, South Carolina, died on Monday, May 20, 2019, at the age of 73. The cause of death was brain cancer, which was diagnosed in December of 2018. Born on November 28, 1945, in Peoria, Illinois, Dr. Russell was the son of the late John Thomas Russell and Rose Arnold Russell. He spent an idyllic childhood in Galesburg, Illinois, and went on to attend the University of Kansas, where he pledged Phi Delta Theta and earned his B.S. with honors in 1968. He earned his M.D. from Northwestern University in 1972. After medical school, Dr. Russell completed a residency in general and vascular surgery at the University of Iowa. For eleven years he worked in private practice in his hometown of Galesburg before relocating to Durham, North Carolina, to serve as Chief of Surgery for the North Carolina region of Kaiser Permanente. A shift from medical practice to administration took him from Durham to Charlotte, where he served as Medical Director of the Charlotte region of Kaiser Permanente and, later, as the Executive Medical Director for VHA Central Atlantic. He retired in 2007, spending the years leading up to and following his retirement in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Lawrence, Kansas; and, finally, Johns Island. Dr. Russell strove to be a gentle and caring surgeon and an empathetic and effective administrator. But his family always came first. He was beloved as a husband and best friend by his wife of 44 years, Lynn McCullough Russell. He was beloved as a father and role model by his three sons, John Henry Russell, William McCullough Russell, and Bradley Arnold Russell. His proudest achievement, however, was to be adored as "Papa Russ" by his five grandchildren, Owen Hunt Russell, Leo William Russell, Luke Kolling Russell, Charlotte Rose Russell, and George Ryan Russell. Dr. Russell was an accomplished photographer, an avid model railroader, a stage and voice actor, and a talented singer and member of the Charleston Community Choir. He loved to play tennis and golf and was an active, and often vocal, supporter of his favorite sports teams, above all the Kansas Jayhawks. He loved music, from the rock and roll of his youth to the classical music that enthralled him as an adult. He was a deeply thoughtful man who was drawn to philosophy and found solace in the writings of Buddhists, Stoics, and Epicureans. He loved to eat and to cook, especially Cajun food. He shared with his wife, Lynn, a passion for travel that led them across the country and overseas to France, Italy, Russia, and Scandinavia, his favorite. The grandson of a Santa Fe Railroad official, he had an abiding love of the railroad and of trains. But he also loved the water, loved boating and fishing - loved the Lowcountry. He loved to laugh and excelled at making others do so. Dr. Russell is survived by his wife, Lynn; his three sons, John, Bill, and Brad; his three daughters-in-law, Leigh Amburgey Russell, Lauren Elizabeth Hunt, and Amy Kolling Russell; his five grandchildren, Owen, Leo, Luke, Charlotte, and George; his sister, Patricia Lee Russell, and her children, Madeleine Rose Leonard (Todd Leonard) and Charles Russell Moffett. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, June 12, at the Sandcastle clubhouse on Kiawah. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Kiawah Conservancy, 80 Kestrel Court, Kiawah Island, SC 29455 (kiawahconservancy.org). Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston