Paul David Russ, Jr. Obituary (1949 - 2017)

Our beloved father, brother, grandfather, and friend to many, Mr. Paul David Russ Jr., 67, of Bacliff, Texas, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at Mainland Medical Center. This is the story of Paul David Russ Jr. Paul was a wonderful man that was loved, is missed, and will always be cherished. Our Father was a 'Jack Of All Trades'. There was nothing he could not do if given the task. He always knew a way to figure it out and get the job done. You can always count on him to fix, have an answer, and be there when you needed him. Paul's story starts on December 13, 1949, the oldest child to Paul Sr. and Claireissa. Paul was born in Ranson, West Virginia. When Paul was still little his mother moved their small family to Detroit, where Paul would spend his childhood, grow up, make lifelong friends, and go to school. Paul graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Marine Biology. He later went to Grad School and obtained his Masters in Communications Engineering. He was drafted into the United States Air Force where he served and dedicated 20 years of service, was a proud Vietnam Veteran, and retired in 1990.While stationed at Clark Air Force Base, Angeles City, Pampanga Philippines, this is where he would meet the love of his life, only wife, and mother of his four beloved children Filipina Lindsey. They were married on December 11, 1975, and later divorced in 2000. Paul moved to Sacramento, CA with his family in Mid-December 1989 after spending much of the last ten years overseas in the Philippines. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked for the Internal Revenue Service until his retirement in 2002. In 2005, Paul moved to Bacliff, TX and spent the remainder of his life enjoying the Gulf Coast, gardening his backyard, and was a faithful and humble member of the Faith Baptist Church of Bacliff, TX. As a child, he always dreamt of becoming an Astronaut and always thought of himself as a Scientist. In his early 20's he built a one-man submarine and was published in the newspaper for his extraordinary invention. Paul had a passion for scuba diving, martial arts (Kung Fu, Karate and Judo), photography, racing cars, and flying planes. He was an avid Star Trek 'Trekkie' fan and loved science fiction. He also logged many hours as a master diver and private pilot. He enjoyed taking his children on flights around Clark Air Force Base. He also enjoyed deep sea scuba diving to collect rare sea shells and coral. His favorite holidays were Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. He enjoyed decorating his house with the Halloween and Christmas themes, passing out hundreds of candies, having a feast, and gifting family and friends. His hobbies were building computers, collecting Star Trek and Star Wars memorabilia, collecting coins, collecting watches and his renowned movie collection. His last count was set at around a little over 16,000 DVDs. He enjoyed binge-watching movies, going to comic-con conventions, meeting the Star Trek, Star Wars and other cast members of his favorite science fiction movies and getting his infamous collection of rare cast member signatures. Paul was a 'Coffee Connoisseur'. He loved to collect coffee beans from all around the world, and roast and indulge. He enjoyed brewing his specialty coffee roasts and sharing them with friends and loved ones. Paul was a family man and his children and grandchildren were his heart and joy. Loved ones that cleared the path for Paul are his Father Paul David Russ Sr., Mother Claireissa Delaney Berry (Russ), Brother Warren Russ, and Daughter Clarissa Lorenzo Russ. Loved ones that will dearly miss Paul until they meet again are his Daughter Colita Russ, Daughter Christina Russ-Cooper & (Husband William Cooper), Son Paul David Russ III, and his Grand Children Jason Jamal (JJ) Ruiz Russ, Terrence Joseph (TJ) Ruiz Russ, Nieko Lee McCauley, Kaleah Caelani Russ, Jordan Trevino, J.William Cooper, Zyannah Cooper, Liam Cooper, Keanu Cooper, his Best friend and Fur-baby 'Max', along with his many loved-ones and friends. And so the story goes on until we see you again. We love you and miss you 'Daddy' and 'Grandpa Paul'. A Celebration Of Life Service will be held at 6:00 pm, Saturday, November 4th at Carnes Funeral Home, 3100 Gulf Fwy, Texas City, Texas 77591, Reverend Kevin Snyder will be officiating. A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 am, Thursday, November 16th at Sierra Hills Memorial Park & East Lawn Mortuary, 5757 Greenback Lane, Sacramento, CA 95841. Burial Services with Military Honors Tribute to follow at 1:00 pm at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Rd, Dixon, CA 95620. A gathering of family and friends will commence at Saint Francis Hall between 4:00pm-8:00pm, 5757 Greenback Lane, Sacramento, CA 95841.Those wishing to sign Paul's guestbook may do so at http://obit.carnesfuneralhome.com/ and http://www.eastlawn.com/obituaries/obituary-listings. We would like to give a very special thank you to our dearest and caring Reverend, Mr. Kevin Snyder, my father's medical team Dr. Dharmashankar and Dr. Merszei, the caring nursing staff at the Texas City Dialysis Center, and the Carnes Funeral Home, Sierra Hills Memorial Park & East Lawn Mortuary and the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery for your services during this time.