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Paul Herbert Russell, age 75, of Witter, Arkansas, was born to John Moses and Ada “Jewell” (Steele) Russell on December 22, 1947, at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Paul spent his life working in the logging industry and was one of the owners of Russell Timber, Inc. until his retirement in 2008. He graduated from Kingston High School in 1966 and attended the School of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri, for several years. Early in his life, Paul made a decision to follow the Lord and his faith never waivered throughout the rest of his earthly journey. Each day he prayed for his family, friends, and many other acquaintances who might come to his mind. During the past year Paul was determined to memorize Psalms 91, and his Bible, with wrinkled and worn pages, is proof of the time he spent at this chapter. Paul experienced health problems while on this Earth but those who loved him are certain that he is now rejoicing with his Lord and Savior where he is experiencing total healing and understanding the fullness of God’s love and grace to him. Paul loved exercising, jogging, playing basketball and weight-lifting. He was a fan of sports in general, especially basketball. He was a dedicated Boston Celtics fan through most of his life, always cheering them on enthusiastically, even when the team didn’t have the best seasons. Paul was a hard-working man and his love of timber/logging continued even after his retirement as he watched loaded log trucks passing by, and he always commented on who traveled by and the logs they were hauling. Many of his neighbors still remember him jogging on the road going up Slow Tom Mountain, often after putting in a long day working in the timber. In his younger years, Paul was known to have challenged several of his employees to a foot-race, which was done at the end of a workday in heavy logging boots. Paul married Joy Elaine Anderson on December 27, 1974, and he was a loving father of three children: Christy (Russell) Bennett, Dustin Russell, and Shandy (Russell) Dersham. He was “Pa” to six grandchildren: Valerie and Gage Russell; Ryan and Maisie Bennett, and Mila and Cohen Dersham. Paul is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren; a sister, Sandra Mae (Russell) Bell; two brothers, John David Russell and Joseph Dale Russell; and many nieces and nephews who grew up spending lots of fun days at Paul and Joy’s home. His parents predeceased him. Funeral services will be Friday, October 13, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of Brashears Funeral Home in Huntsville, with Rev. Alex Foster officiating. Visitation, with family present, will be one hour prior to the funeral. The body will be laid to rest in the Witter Cemetery. Pallbearers will be: Eric Bell, Rick Bohannan, Matthew Cleaver, Ronald Dennis, Scott Dennis, and Marvin Ryan. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Paul may be made to Every Soul Matters Ministries (non-profit ministry to the homeless in Fayetteville), 2532 West Megan Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72703; or any ministry group of your choice. Services are entrusted to Brashears Funeral Home and Crematory of Huntsville.

Tributes

Paul Russell

December 22, 1947 - October 8, 2023