Russell Brunson's Obituary
Building a Life Story
James “Russell” Brunson was born on July 14, 1949 in Dallas, Texas to Reuben and Laverne Brunson. His stepmother Vickie came into his life from the age of 8-years old on and was a dedicated mother. His father grew up on a farm, had a modest education and worked in a manufacturing plant in Dallas. He learned to make money selling cars and built a car business and eventually sponsored race cars. Russell was the big brother to Donna, or “Porky” as he lovingly called her! Russell had five childhood loves: Texas, BBQ, his family, hot rods and classic rock n roll! Russell loved going to the races and hanging around the pit. His father always had fancy muscle cars to bring home for Russell and his friends to admire and ride around in. His high school highlights included running around with his best friend David Ellis or “Ellis”, Steve Mollet, Tommy Halback and Lightfoot. Russell loved listening to the band Kenny and Casuals and would often hang out at Keller’s Burgers where the gang would pop hoods and show off their engines!
Russell was the first of his family to graduate from college. He started his journey at the University of North Texas where he mastered foosball, playing poker and hanging with the guys! He later transferred to the Harvard of Commerce, East Texas to get serious with his studies and there graduated with a Bachelor’s degree of science.
After graduation, Russell worked at his father’s car dealership. While he loved cars, he never enjoyed selling them. Russell told it like it was and never liked to give out “wolf tickets” which meant a half truth! After a short time of working with his dad, he met a rep from General Motors Corporation and was encouraged to apply for a job. He worked for GM faithfully for over 30-years. He began his tenure there repossessing cars. While others might be shot at or threatened for taking someone’s car away, Russell said he rarely had an unpleasant experience as he treated people with honesty and respect. His job included collecting delinquent payments, locating “missing” cars or cars in hiding, auditing dealerships, and approving financing and leasing. His favorite role was representing GM at the auto auction where he determined car values and approved or denied bids. He loved watching the hundreds of cars come through the auction each week, setting prices and sitting alongside the auctioneer.
Russell’s mom Vickie was flipping houses before it was popular! At 27 years of age, Russell stopped by to visit Vickie at her house on Cool Meadow in Lochwood. He couldn’t help but notice the beautiful girl next door, Sharon, who was planting flowers with her mother. He waved and said hello. Being the bold and assertive guy he was…he mustered up the courage and asked his mother if she would call Sharon’s mom to see if she might have interest in going out on a date! Sharon, a young single mom to Sacha, said yes and the courtship began. After a date or two, Russell came to Sharon’s house with a Christmas present for Sacha, whom he called “punkin”. He quickly fell in love with both of them. Russell sold his beloved motorcycle since it scared Sacha, bent a knee in proposal, and gave them each a ring. He loved them both deeply and was the most devoted husband and father. After the wedding ceremony, Sacha thought she was going on the honeymoon and came out with her little suitcase packed! Russell was a steady figure in Sacha’s life and never missed a dance recital, or a football game to watch his little cheerleader, or any other event that Sacha was a part of.
In 1995, Sacha married Colin Sterling Reilly or “Pearl” and they started their family in Tucson, AZ and gave Russell and Sharon 4 grandkids: Connor, Mitchell, Blake, and Emma. The family would make the long road trip periodically to Dallas to visit Mimi and Papa. After several years and several inches of growth, Sharon and Russell decided to make a life change: move out of the Lone Star State to be closer to the grandkids. Russell had lived his entire life within a 3-mile radius but was happy to give up Texas residency to be with family. He decided to retire at the age of 55 after 30-years of service with GMAC and pack up his things. They moved to Tucson, bought a house in the same neighborhood of the grandkids and stocked the pantry with sugar cereal and candy so when the kids rode their bikes over there was always a treat or a blockbuster movie to watch! Steady and reliable Russell showed up to each football, soccer, and basketball game…always early and with a big smile! He was a faithful fixture in the stands at all games, school functions, and graduations from K to 12. Russell would join Pearl, Rob and Rick Borane and the kids on camping trips with the boys where they would ride dirt bikes, sleep in tents, and listen to ghost stories around the fire! On Christmas Eve, Papa would stay up late assembling the latest toy or big wheel that needed to be put together and placed under the tree.
When Donna and Ken had Rusty, Russell loved him as his own. Little buddy as he called him was a special part of his life. After Rusty moved to Tucson and finished high school, Russell was intent on helping pay for radiography schooling so Rusty could advance himself professionally. He marveled at Rusty’s success and was so proud of him. Russell would connect with his best friend David Ellis periodically by phone and his conversations would always include exciting updates on the kids. Russell loved his extended family which included the Reilly’s, Bell’s, and Crawford’s. Holiday gatherings with close to 30 family members seated meant that Russell would enjoy conversation and then sneak off to a quiet place for some alone time to watch whatever game was on!
Russell loved the game of golf and played weekly with a group in Tucson that included his brother-in-law Donnie.. He won his most recent championship and used his earnings to buy Emma….or “doodlepuss” a set of golf clubs! He played in many tournaments with Pearl as well as Donnie and Donna.
Russell had a gift for working in the yard and was meticulous at keeping his home tiptop. He was a thoughtful neighbor who once even maintained the yard of a single mom who lived next door in Mesquite.
A favorite pastime for Russell was poker and cigars with the fellas. In the midst of ballgames and events, the guys would sit together listening to classic tunes and playing cards. The guys included Bob and Rob Reilly, Colin, Rick, Sean Camden, and others. Russell was never the bully at the table and would always play like a gentleman unless you raised him in an effort to push him out. You never wanted to be the one to call Russell as he would have just enough to beat you! His pockets were generally full at the end of the night!
Russell finished his race in life well! In the last few weeks, Russell made two special trips to help his grandkids. He traveled to Las Vegas to deliver furniture to Connor who treated him to a Beatles show which they loved! They had uninterrupted time together and shared life and stories over meals. It was a rare opportunity to have one on one time because of the size of the family and the typical pace of holidays or visits.
Russell’s last trip was to Dallas to help Blake with the restoration of his newly purchased 100-year old house. He and Sharon drove the long 1,000 mile trek from Tucson and brought furniture and household items. Meeting contractors and helpers, Papa gave oversight to the project and did what he was best at: transformed an overgrown and neglected yard into a well-maintained charmer! He loved his time with Mitch and Liza and seeing their beautiful baby Sterling whom he called “little Mitchy.” He took the kids to his childhood spots including Keller’s Burgers and El Fenix Mexican Restaurant. For an entire week, Russell soaked in time with his beloved grandkids and spent time with Donnie and Donna. On his last Sunday, he went to church with the kids and listened to an inspiring message on eternity. The final photograph taken of Russell was the night before he died when Emma stopped by Blake’s property to admire his handiwork. She snapped a pic and listened to Russell give his summation of work completed. While he loved the warmth of the desert in Tucson, he felt so at peace in his hometown of Dallas and was happy to give this gift to Blake. Russell’s last day alive was spent resting at Emma’s house where he was given the best emergency care by Emma’s nursing school roommates. God called Russell home just the way he would have hoped, peacefully in his chair and without a fuss or prolonged pain.
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