Russell John Graham, lover of Jesus, devoted husband and father, and mentor to many, went to his eternal home on February 1st, 2020 surrounded by his wife, children and all his siblings. Although we are grieving, we're also rejoicing that Russ is now with both his loving fathers – His Holy Father and his earthly father Vic. We can almost hear the heavenly celebration and take comfort in knowing that Russ is now residing in a place he's anticipated his entire life.

Russ was born on June 3rd, 1961 in St. Charles, Illinois. His parents brought him up to love the Lord and serve others, and that's what he did every day. After graduating from Wheaton North High School in 1979, he attended Northern Illinois University where he was a four- year starter on the football team. While at Northern, he married his beloved high school sweetheart Berni and upon graduating, accepted a coaching position at NIU, a natural fit for his gifts of leadership and encouragement. He coached until 1991, when he joined First Trust Portfolios, L.P. in Wheaton, eventually becoming a partner/managing director as well as CEO of Bondwave, a division of First Trust Portfolios. In 2016 Russ retired from First Trust and became a Principal at Compass Mortgage in Warrenville.

Despite his professional successes, Russ' true impact was through his personal relationships. He had many spiritual gifts, but one of his strongest was the gift of discernment. Russ could immediately read people and understand what they needed emotionally and spiritually, and he'd do his best to meet that need. He had a spectacular sense of humor which he used throughout his daily ministry, as well as a quiet, steady inner confidence in Christ that drew many to him from every walk of life. Russ lived well, loved well, and died well. He'll be missed without measure by so many, but we know someday we'll be with him on the other side. When we are, we'll never have to say goodbye to him again.

Russ was preceded in death by his father Victor Russell Graham. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Bernadette (nee Litavsky), his children Brianna Tink (Jonathan), Madison, and Steele (fiancée Topanga), his mother Joyce Romelle (nee Williams), his sister Rebecca, and his brothers Daniel (Robin) and Kent (Courtney), and his first grandchild, Graham Arnold Tink. A memorial service will be held at 9:30 a.m. on February 17th at Wheaton Bible Church , 27W500 North Ave, West Chicago, IL 60185 . In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Surfing the Nations (memo: Madison Graham) or Sports Outreach International (memo: Steve Connor).