Marty, We just learned the extremely sad news of Walt’s passing from Gary & Carol Kunze. The impact that the two of you made in our lives is immeasurable. You modeled to us what a Christian marriage and family looked like. We were newly married and had just lost both of Tom’s parents when we were first invited to Grace Fellowship. We longed for a community that looked like Acts 2 but had never seen it in a local church. Our hearts were “home” the moment we walked into Grace and we particularly connected with you two. We grew from Walt’s teaching (Neophytes Need Not Apply, etc.), Saturday Seminary, many one-on-one times with both of you sharing Christian music, working in the office with Walt and soaking in all the wisdom and life lessons we could from the two of you. You were the models we were learning from and the base for how we would create family in our own home. 

One of the greatest gifts we were given was the time we had with the two of you in Yorba Linda a few years ago when we surprised Walt at Talbot and found him after teaching one of his classes. The two of you graciously extended your hospitality to us once again and we had a sweet time of fellowship at your home. We shared a life-changing experience with the loss of Christopher and many feelings, sadnesses and changes in the road for our relationship that could never be spoken at that time.  It was God’s gift to us that we could talk, cry and connect on the very deep and personal level with you in your home that night. God knew that would be the last time we would see Walt on this earth. I can only imagine the rejoicing that occurred when Walt met Jesus face to face and hugged his Christopher! 

We now share 44 years of marriage, 7 beautiful adult children and 13 grandchildren. All of them have been shaped by the life of Walt & Marty Russell. Thank you for being the mentors in our life who were real, transparent, loving and life-changing. We will always love you guys!

Tom & Bonnie Bienert

I was a student with Walt in the early days at Mizzou and was so encouraged by his early zeal in the core-leadership group of Campus Crusade and unfortunately have not seen him in MANY years. As a teacher myself, t  is such a  blessing to read the testimonies of the students he taught.  I am so looking forward to spending more time with him in the future!

I am so thankful for Dr. Russell's instruction and inspiration for me in a number of classes I had with him when I was a student at Talbot in the early 1990's. I took every class I could with him. He taught me how to carefully and accurately and passionately understand and teach God's word. His classes weren't easy to say the least, but they were profoundly stretching and inspiring and life-changing for me. And he  often took time to talk personally with me afterwards and answer my many questions about how to apply what I was learning. I remember often exiting his class moved to tears with joy at what I had just learned from him. I have continued to serve as a pastor and teacher of the word ever since, and will forever be thankful for Dr. Russell!

I can’t believe he is gone. I can still see in my mind’s eye in class as he had a big grin on his face while nodding his head, scanning the room to see if we got the point he was making. And his gaze did not return void. He would disarm us with his wry wit and then pierce our hearts with stories from his life. The valleys are so deep because the mountains were so high. A great professor and  man is gone from our sight, but ever etched on our souls. May God continue to comfort his wonderful family whom he adored, and all he leaves behind.

My class with Dr. Russell was one of the most impactful in my time at Biola. During his class, I developed a framework for middle school hermeneutics based on his teaching which is still being used today. Hundreds of students have learned how to read the Bible better based on what I was taught by Dr. Russell. The ripple effects will go on for years.  I praise Lord for his faithful Kingdom work

Just received email with the sad news.  My condolences to the family.  Russ (how I knew him) and I met in 5th grade and roomed together as sophomores at MIZZOU. While in college, we also worked together in the summers as helpers for water well drillers.  Our wells surely were the best ever in Missouri!  Russ was a good friend, conference champion cross country/track athlete and state champion,  jazz musician. I may have been the “little devil” on his shoulder as we pulled some never evil, but always mischievous,  pranks.  Once, our dads had to visit our principal due to our  “participation” in a math class.  Wish I could’ve talked to Russ again.  All the best! 

Dear Marty, Elizabeth and Jonathan,
My deepest condolences as you say goodbye to your dear loving husband and father. As you walk this journey of grief we are praying for you, that God will comfort you and pour out His mercy upon you.
Walt was my first professor in the Masters program, and my 1st Reader of my Doctoral dissertation, bookending my graduate studies. His classes were my favorite throughout. His wit, wisdom, and insight changed the way I read Scripture and transformed my life.
Marty, thank you that the two of you sat with, counseled, and prayed with me during a turbulent time of transitioning churches, and relationships.
I am eternally grateful for your friendship and love. Love, Kathy Verhoeven

Walt shaped my life in more ways than I can express. His teaching and his love for me marked me for life. He was a "wounded healer" and his vulnerability made him accessible  to those who struggle. I remember the enthusiastic welcome he extended to me when I first approached him after class to ask if he would be willing to meet with me privately at some point. I don't remember his exact words but he put his hand on my shoulder and eagerly agreed. From that point forward, his advice and example, in addition to his teaching, would guide me. On one occasion, I was sitting in Walt's office after we had been out for a visit and I confessed to him a deep struggle. As the counseling session grew longer, it overlapped with his next class. He got up, walked a short distance to the classroom, and canceled the class. When I told him that he didn't need to do that, he simply said, "This is more important." That's perhaps the best way I can sum up Walt's life and influence: He was a man who knew what was more important. His answer to me was "always yes in Christ Jesus." And his "yes" to me has forever shaped my life. Rest in peace and rise in glory, my dear mentor! 

        November 2, 2022

Dear Marty,

Before and after we were married, you and Walt were a near constant in our lives. Thoughtful advice and caring for all us and our spiritual lives. Walt challenged and helped expand my view of God and how He intersects with my life. Even after leaving Baltimore, Walt continued and continues to influence my life.

I am extremely sorry for your loss.

Mike Walsh

Dear Marty,

As I think back to early Grace, what exciting times they were! I had never been to a church that started up. Churches were just there and you just picked one. The format was different, and the worship was amazing–I came from a church that sang three hymns, and no more every Sunday. I was introduced to Worship, not just singing. Walt and Jim taught directly from the Bible. (I had never heard of expository teaching)  People shared what Jesus did in their life. And there was a social time afterward. What could be better?!

What I loved about Walt’s teaching were: his insights, his background study of the Jewish culture related to the passage, his scholarship, and especially his love of the Bible and God. He had the heart of a teacher. Sadly, I never previously met a pastor, like Walt, who was excited about the Bible and wanted others to feel that way and to apply the Bible in their lives.

You and Walt made a good team. I picked up a lot about marriage from you both. Helping us in pre-marital counseling was invaluable. Thank you!!

I, too, am extremely sorry for your loss.

Susan Walsh

"We miss you brother."  That is what Walt would say, with a twinkle in his eye, when we got together or bumped into one another on a dog-walk around our shared neighborhood, or our impromptu trips for ice cream, dinner or Bible study.  Walt was a dear friend and a great neighbor and we were elated to live near the "Revered Dr. Walt Russell" whom our daughter thought so highly of and kept his book Playing With Fire after receiving her Biola degree.  We have been out of the picture recently, as we left our longtime home in 2020 to move close to our youngest daughter in Wisconsin.  Still, we think fondly of our regular interactions with Walt and Marty. To be sure, his is a life worth celebrating.

Jeff and Susan Decker

Walt was my favorite professor.  He was the real deal. The longer I've lived, the more time I've had to encounter people that are attempting to follow Jesus that are blinded by their own pride and leave you feel unacceptable and judged when you leave their presence. Maya Angelou said that you may forget what someone said to you but you will never forget how someone made you feel. Walt always made me feel seen, heard, and accepted.  He helped me to want to follow Jesus and left me with an impression that God really did love me. He challenged me in grading my papers  always in a spirit of love.   Walt showed me a lot of grace, as i had to learn time management and turned in papers late. He let me audit a class once as well when i didn't have the money to attend class during a semester and took a semester off. One time after class, I told him that I was going on a mission trip and was raising money and simply sharing about the trip. He reached in his pocket and gave me all the money in his pocket and told me he was going to go buy a new fishing rod after class but wanted me to have it towards my missions trip. I look forward to seeing walt again one day and telling him how much he impacted my life. Until then, I hope Jesus and Walt are having fun fishing together. 

Baccalaureate 2005

Walt Russell Retirement — with Gary McIntosh

Walt helped save my life.  My eternal life, that is.  We were roommates our junior year at the University of Missouri.  Walt invited me to attend a group that he was part of that fall, which was a new organization back then, Campus Crusade for Christ.  So, I attended several of those meetings and heard things I had not heard at my old church back home.  Things like, "You can have a personal relationship with Christ," and "God can forgive anything and give you a second chance," and "Put Christ on the throne of your life, and let him lead you."  At the end of one of those meetings, on October 15, 1968, to be exact, I bowed my head  and invited Christ to come into my life and be my Savior and guide.  To this day, I remember the great peace, joy and comfort of that moment when his Spirit came in, and my life has never been the same ever since.  Jesus indeed comes in and gives us full joy and the peace that we cannot find anywhere else.  All these years later I remain eternally grateful that Walt invited me to those meetings.  His invitation helped opened the door to my forever relationship with Christ, and  I look forward to thanking Walt personally for that someday on the streets of gold.  Sincerely, James W. Whan, Attorney at Law, Maryville, MO.  

P.S.  Walt's invitation has multiplied.  My wife, our two daughters, our two sons-in-law and our four grandchildren have all trusted Jesus as their Savior, too.

For several years Walt and I enjoyed teaching together at Talbot.  We were in different departments, but enjoyed hanging out from time to time at one of the campus coffee shops to 'shoot the breeze' about life, family, and ministry.  Our conversations as we entered our mid-60s turned to the subject of the next chapter - eventual retirement from the faculty and the life beyond.  We both knew the Lord would be faithful to us, as he had always been.  And together we expressed our appreciation for the amazing ministry he had given us at Biola University.  My wife Rolane and I will always cherish our times with Walt and Marty.  They have been, and remain, God's precious gift to us in this life and the next.

Walt was such a great encouragement to me over the course of many decades. During some very discouraging days in campus ministry in Baltimore, he was a source of joy and strength, with a listening ear and heartfelt prayers. During my many visits to teach at Talbot, Walt and Marty opened their home to me so I could be refreshed for the next day's teaching. I miss Walt's brilliant intellect and hearty laugh. I am grateful that he now has a new body, free of disease, and is rejoicing in the presence of his Savior. 

Some profs share their minds, some share their experiences, even fewer share their hearts. The rarest share all three. That was Walt. And so, not only were his students' minds and experiences changed, but also their hearts! What a unique gift from God for all of us! If this is what a true shepherd is, Walt's example made me want to be one! Many of the things he said and taught and felt will echo in my heart and mind for the rest of my life, as I share my thoughts and experiences and heart with my own sons and students! 

Some teach the gospel and some live it out before your very eyes!

"So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us." (1 Thess. 2:8)

Walt and I graduated together...a ThM and a professorship well done!

Walt was my mentor and friend.  I first took his hermeneutics class as an undergraduate student and his teaching forever transformed how I handled Scripture.  Throughout my undergrad degree and my graduate degree, I took every class he taught while at Biola and Talbot, and then he arranged a course with me so I could spend more time learning from him.   Then I worked as his grader while finishing my M.Div.  The Lord used Walt to help me be the shepherd that I am today.  He shaped how I read my Bible, how I view ministry, how I understand church leadership, and how I value and care for others.  I was deeply impacted by how he took Scripture seriously and yet had a pastoral heart.  I'll never forget him exegeting a passage, talking about the connection of Greek verbs to participles at one moment, and then at the next moment being in tears at how the truth of this passage had given him comfort.  I am confident that the fruit of Walt's ministry will continue to bear fruit until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).  He is united now with his son, Christopher, and most importantly, His Master, the Lord Jesus.  Praying for the Lord to comfort Marty, Elizabeth, and Jonathan.  Walt left an indelible mark on my life and I will be forever grateful to the Lord for him.

I was first impacted by Walt when he taught hermeneutics at our church. I was so inpired by his teaching and accademic excellence that I enrolled at Talbot. As his student I was deeply appreciative of his exceptional scholarship, but I was even more profoundly impacted by his pastoral care with his students. More than any other professor, Walt influenced me to become the pastor I am today. He lived what he taught, and those lessons continue to bear fruit as Jesus transforms the lives of those I touch in ministry. Walt, the Lord has used you beyond your comprehension, but He has already welcomed you into His kingdom with the words"Well done thou good and faithful servant."