Michael Alan Russell's Obituary
Michael Alan Russell, age 83, passed away peacefully in his home on Friday, April 25, 2025. Mike was born on December 20, 1941, in Hart, Michigan, to his parents Maud and Norman Russell. He graduated from Hart High School in 1960, after which he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he was honorably discharged as a Lance Corporal in 1967. During his career, he was employed as a law enforcement officer by the City of Muskegon and the City of Flint. He served as a deputy sheriff for the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Department, where he retired from after 35 years of service.
Mike was a huge enthusiast of the arts. He liked a wide variety of music from bluegrass to Elvis and anything from the 1940s to the 1990s. He loved classical music, opera, ballet, photography, and painting. He enjoyed playing guitar and banjo, loved getting together to sing songs with his brothers and sisters, and formed the infamous bluegrass jam band known as the “Russell Boys.” He had a special fondness for playing music by the Beatles. Mike excelled at any athletic pursuits. He loved to play golf, target shoot, bowl, and compete in archery. He was an expert marksman and taught karate and self-defense classes for the Sheriff’s Department. He also enjoyed going to the Muskegon Channel to watch the boats and always looked for lighthouses when traveling. Mike was a quiet man but had an enormous amount of lifelong friends. He loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor. He also had a vast knowledge of esoteric subjects that impressed his friends and family.
Mike is survived by his wife of sixty years, Gloria (Bour) Russell; children, Jon (Terri) Russell of Muskegon, MI and Karen (Phil) Thomson of Hart, MI; beloved grandsons, Michael Russell and Jeff (Alyssa) Russell of Muskegon, MI; great-grandsons, Braden Russell and Seth Russell; siblings-in-laws, June Russell of Wyoming, MI, Merilee Fraser of Muskegon, MI, Pam (Jerry) Tanis of Fremont, MI, and Tim (Barb) Bour of Ravenna, MI; and many nieces and nephews.
Mike is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Neal, Ben, Wayne, Scott, and Gary; and sisters, Helen, Rosemary, and Joyce.
Per his request, no funeral service will be held for Mike. A celebration of life will be held 12:00-3:00 pm on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at The Don Rea VFW Post, 1061 Witham Dr., North Muskegon, Michigan 49445. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Fraternal Order of the Police Post #99, P.O. Box 573, Muskegon, MI 49443.
Arrangements have been entrusted to The Sytsema Chapel of Sytsema Funeral and Cremation Services, 737 E. Apple Ave., Muskegon, MI 49442. Share memories with the family at sytsemafh.com
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