Russell L. Dunn

Russell LeRoy Dunn, (80) of London Mills, IL, passed away at 0344 on May 19th, 2025. Russell was born on August 6th, 1944 in Canton, IL, the son of Gerald V. & Ethel M. (Johnson) Dunn.

He married Pamela Gregory on May 29th, 1964 in Farmington, IL. She survives. Also surviving are 3 daughters, Leslie Hillier of Fairview, IL; Deborah Stewart of London Mills, IL; & Ruth Dunn (Royce Elmore) of Bowling Green, KY; 10 grandchildren-Bryan (Kaleigh) Norris, Shayley (Michael) Bergmann, Mason (Jillian) Hillier, Elijah Hillier; Derek Stewart, Caleb (Abby Sherwood) Stewart, Jordan (Megan) Stewart; Tempest (JD Cox) Williamson, Coda (Ryan) Campbell, & Jessaca (Danny) Carr; 17 great grandchildren-Euphemia & Eloise Norris; Vada Bergmann; Holdyn Hillier; Payton, Konnor, & Bryant Stewart; Cade, Parker, & Rowyn Stewart; Stockton & Tatem Stewart; Isabella & Lloyd Cox; Brooklyn Nickle & Quinn Campbell; & Lilith Carr. Also surviving are two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Smith & Wanda Deutscher, several nieces, nephews, cousins, & his beloved dog Chico. He was proceeded in death by his parents, brother Richard Dunn, & sister Greta Friend; son in law Tab Hillier; his father & mother-in-law Robert & Irene Gregory, brother-in-law Dan Gregory, sister-in-law Gail Gregory, & bonus "son" Michael Herriford.

Russell graduated from Spoon River Valley HS, Fairview, IL in 1962. Upon graduation, he held many jobs, including Gebharts Auto Supply, Lynch Scott, Gale Products, & Admirals. His final job was as a highway maintainer for the Illinois Dept. Of Transportation, retiring in 2000 after 31 years of service. But as with many people after retirement, he did a variety of odd jobs to remain active & engaged with people.

Russell enjoyed a variety of leisure time activities over the years as well. His favorites included gardening, mowing, camping, fishing, going on cruises, playing poker, going to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play, yard sales, & auctions. He loved singing karaoke, his favorite songs being "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "Against The Wind," & "Elvira." He enjoyed a variety of sports, his love of baseball showing through his many titles of fan, player, coach, & umpire. He was a diehard Chicago Cubs fan & saw a dream come true in 2016 when they won the World Series.

Russell lived a life full of love & laughter. He could always be counted on to make you laugh with his one line comebacks & jokes. If there's one piece of advice to remember him by, it was his firm belief of always telling his family & friends that he loved them at the end of a visit or phone call. He said it was important to tell one another this as you never knew if it would be your last time to do so.

Per Russell's request, he chose to be cremated & not have a funeral service. He said he would rather that those who knew & loved him held a celebration of life instead. This is currently being planned. Arrangements have been entrusted to Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg.

If anyone would like to make a donation in honor of Russell, he would want them to do so to by donating to his great granddaughter Eloise Norris. Eloise has been a patient in the St. Louis Children's Hospital since December 2024, awaiting a heart transplant. The ways to donate are as follows: https://gofund.me/045fe8d8 or at: B. Norris 11812 W. Farmington Rd. Hanna City, IL 61536. Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.watsonthomas.com.