Sally Elaine Russell (nee Lewis), age 85 of Geneva, IL beloved wife of Phillip Russell for 65 years, entered her heavenly home on December 30, 2020. She had been living with Alzheimer's dementia for the last several years.
Sally was born on October 3, 1935 in Ottumwa, Iowa, the first child of the late Fred Lewis and Alma Lumsdon Lewis. She grew up in Ottumwa and graduated from Ottumwa High School, with a wealth of family and friends nearby.
After her marriage in 1955, Phil and Sally moved to Aurora, IL. There, she worked at the local bank and then had three children: John, Phyllis and Catherine. Her life was caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle of raising a family. They moved in the late 1960s to Sugar Grove and became involved in the community there.
Sally drove a bus for School District #302 for many years. Later, she worked at the Bank of Sugar Grove, and then the United States Post Office (Sugar Grove, Western Illinois, and Texas).
She worked for the Texas Rangers for 12 years as a tour guide and museum docent. Everywhere Sally lived, she became a part of the local church: Aurora, IL 7 years; Sugar Grove, IL 21 years; Galesburg, IL 7 years; Ft Worth, TX area 24 years; and recently Naperville/Geneva, IL 3 years.
From her days in high school all the way until she moved to Illinois from Texas, Sally sang in a choir. Most recently, up until about 2017, she sang in her church choir at First Baptist Church, Hurst, TX. Even while her cognitive abilities declined, she was able to sing and participate in choir until it was time to move to a new residence for her healthcare needs.
While through the years, Sally was Phil's traveling partner all over the world, some of her best times of travel included visiting and/or helping her family and going fishing in Vergas, Minnesota. In the years they lived in Texas, they spent many trips with friends, and trips with their church to support mission projects. Her volunteer projects included mission trips to Mexico and Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. She also led Sunday School classes and AWANA. Sally was known for her mean peanut brittle.
She is survived by her husband, Phillip, and their three children John Russell (Cheryl) of Collierville, TN, Phyllis Palmer (Kent) of Greenfield, WI, and Catherine Voirin (Terry) of Batavia, IL. Her grandchildren are Brian (Shannon), Bradley (Carey) and Ben (Madison) Palmer; Elizabeth Russell and John Russell, II; and Samuel Voirin and Charles Voirin. Her great grandchildren include Calvin, Charlotte, Abigail, Ruby, Henry (Hank) and Theodore, plus one more in 2021. She is also survived by her siblings James Lewis (Marylan) of Roseville, MN and Maria Adams (William) of Saline, MI, and a great number of nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Mark Lewis (Sue), and infant sister Christina.

A private memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to view a livestream of the service by clicking this link: Sally E. Russell Memorial Service

Memorials in Sally's name may be made to the charity nearest to your heart, perhaps your home church, or to Heartland Hospice .