Charles A. (Chuck) Russell

Charles A. (Chuck) Russell, 93 died peacefully in his bed at Sunrise of Pikesville Assisted Living in Baltimore Maryland.

Chuck was born December 6, 1926 in Glenmora, Louisiana to Isaac and Margaret F. Russell, the last of seven children. His early education was in a four-room country school. He attended three different high schools in three different towns in Louisiana graduating in 1944 at age 17.

Upon graduating from high school, he moved to Oakland, California where he worked in a shipyard during World War II. Shortly after reaching 18, he was drafted into the Armed Forces. He was spared military conflict when the war ended within a year of his being drafted. He spent three and a half years in the military before being honorably discharged in November1948.

Chuck went to college on the GI Bill and graduated from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California with a degree in Sociology in 1954. He worked as a social worker in Los Angeles serving the elderly people who needed public assistance.

After six years in social work, he went on to join the Social Security Administration. He worked in Oakland, California assisting retired workers and other elderly people obtain social security benefits. He often said he enjoyed social work and his position with social security because he could see that he was helping people, some who had no other income or resources. Upon completing 6 years in Oakland, he graduated to the Social Security Administration headquarters in Maryland where he spent the remainder of his working life.

When he retired, Chuck said he wanted to live where he would not have to worry about snow, ice, or hurricanes. In 1992, he came to Yuma and made it his home.

He was involved in volunteer work for many years. He was most proud of his work in organizations serving people with disabilities, mainly The Arc, a national organization for people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities with which he was associated for more than 35 years. The Arc has chapters throughout the United States. In Maryland, he served as President of both his local county Arc and The Arc of the State of Maryland. Upon arriving in Yuma, he joined The Arc of Yuma County and remained a contributing member until his death.

Other organizations with which Chuck was active in are The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), The Yuma County AIDS Network, and The Yuma Library Foundation.

He is survived by his daughter Gwendolyn Wesco of Picayune, Mississippi, two sons, Charlie and Dave of Columbia, Maryland, eight grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.