James M. Russell

      James M. Russell, 70, of Keosauqua, died at 6:50 p.m. Nov. 20, 2000, at Van Buren County Hospital.

      The funeral service was 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, at Pedrick Funeral Home with the Rev. Bill Shewmaker and Raymond Lyon officiating. Burial with military rites by the Beer-Barker American Legion Post #113 was in Fellows Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Keosauqua Christian Church or Iowa Lions Eyebank and may be mailed to the family at Route 1, Box 52, Keosauqua, Iowa 52565.

      Mr. Russell was born Dec. 15, 1929, in Allerton, the son of James L. and Florence Austin Russell. He married Goldie Birkman Sept. 12, 1954, in Owensville, Mo. He served in the Army during the Korean War and worked at Douds Stone, Inc., as a plant man and superintendent of its portable stone crushing plant from 1958 until retiring in 1991. After retirement, he worked part-time for Cessford Construction Company in Burlington. He was a member of Keosauqua Christian Church where he served as chairman of the church board, was a past commander of Beer-Barker American Legion Post #113, and was a past president and board member of the Keosauqua Lions Club.

      Survivors include his wife; three daughters, Carol Strah of Ames, Patty Fagoel of Burlington and Marilou Harryman of Newport News, Va.; a son, Duane Russell of Jefferson; five sisters, Kathryn Sharp of Moravia, Marjorie Fisher of Covina, Calif., Doris Marie Donica of McCall, Idaho, Mary Wood of Kansas City, Mo. and Barbara Shank of Bellevue, Neb.; nine grandchildren and one step-granddaughter. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Harold and Bill Russell.