William “Bill” Albert Russell Jr. of Liberty, MO passed away on September 15th, 2023 at the age of 76. Until his last breath, he was surrounded by some of his most cherished people and the most amount of love imaginable. He is survived by his wife, Alvina Russell, his daughters Kimberly Reynolds and Heather Russell, his son-in-law Brian Reynolds, his sister Judie Russell Fries, and his 3 grandchildren, Emily, Liam, and Madigan Reynolds.

Born in Independence, MO and raised in Mendon, MO on July 15th, 1947 to William A. Russell, Sr. and Edyth Rodriguez. Bill was stubborn and hard-headed from the beginning. He was the type of person to always say what was on his mind and to never hold back his two cents, even if it was unsolicited. He always did what he wanted and on his own terms. This proved to be true when he rode a motorcycle through the halls of his Alma Mater, Northwestern High School, just because a peer jokingly dared him to. This continued to ring true when he started dating Alvina, his eventual wife, and the love of his life. On their first (unofficial) date, he swooped in and kissed her while helping her put her coat on, much to her surprise; Alvina’s mom later told her “That’s the one you’re gonna marry.”

Bill and Alvina married soon after on September 21st, 1968 and spent nearly 55 wonderful years together. Many of these years were spent raising their two daughters, Kimberly and Heather. He took great pride in becoming a dad, often being referred to as “the cool dad”, as Kim and Heather’s friends always used to joke and said they wanted him as their own father. While creating a family, Bill also worked as a salesman; he traveled around the world for business, and made lasting memories which he cherished dearly and shared frequently.

Despite these many great titles and accomplishments, one of Bill’s proudest moments came in 2001 when he became a grandfather. However, he was very adamant about not being called “Grandpa”. He never wanted anyone to think of him as an old person, which he thought the word “Grandpa” was synonymous with. Much to his delight, when his oldest grandchild Emily began to speak, she couldn’t pronounce the word grandpa and soon coined the name “Poppa”, which just stuck. From that moment on, Bill Russell became Poppa, and soon, everyone in the family referred to him that way; his three grandkids, his wife, his two daughters, even his brothers-in-law and family friends. It was a title he wore with immense honor and pride because, though he wore a hard exterior, he was wrapped around his grandkids’ fingers and would not have had it any other way.

Though he had a soft spot for many things, such as Jimmy Buffett, American Honey, margaritas and Mexican food, Van Morrison songs, and John Wayne movies, his family was the most important thing to him. He would do anything for the people he loved and it was this way until the very end, even despite the fact that we wouldn’t take those inflatable gloves off (if you know, you know). We loved him more than we can put into words and we will miss him forever.

He did not want any kind of service or memorial, but if you would like to send something to the family, memorial contributions can be sent to Alvina through the ‘Give’ tab at the top of this page. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received during this difficult time. 

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