Russell Willard Adams

Russell Willard Adams, of Grasston, passed away on Friday, June 3, 2016 at the MN Veteran’s Home in Minneapolis. He was 96 years old.

Russell was born on May 27, 1920 in Rock County, Minnesota to Willard and Maud (Dean) Adams. Born the 6th of 7 children; he grew up in southwest Minnesota and southern South Dakota. In 1940, Russ graduated from Garretson High School in South Dakota. He worked in the Garretson area until February of 1942 when he enlisted in the United States Army. In February of 1943, before deployment, Russ was united in marriage to Lillian “Beth” Waddle at Ft Lewis in Washington state. Russ served overseas in the South Pacific under General MacArthur in an artillery battalion that helped to liberate the Philippines. He was honorably discharged in November of 1945 and returned home to Beth. Soon after, Russ began working at a Gambles Hardware store. He worked in sales before advancing to an assistant manager, then a store manager, and eventually as a field auditor before retiring in 1983.   During his years with Gambles, Russ and the family moved numerous times around the Upper Midwest. After retirement, Russ and Beth moved to rural Mora. Beth passed away in September of 1999.

In May of 2008, Russ was married to Violet Anderson in Mantorville, Minnesota. The couple made their home on the Anderson farm in rural Grasston.   In April of 2015, Russ moved to the MN Veteran’s Home in Minneapolis where he spent his final months.

Russ was a lifelong Methodist and loved to sing in the choir and be active in the church community. Music was a vital part of Russ’s life and he was self-taught on several instruments. In his younger years, Russ was an athlete, playing numerous sports in high school. He also followed many professional teams throughout his life. Russ was a good mechanic, having learned many things from his uncles as a child. He encouraged his son Bill to develop that skill as well. Most of all, Russ was a family man, always placing his family first in his life.

Russ was preceded in death by his parents; first wife Beth; sisters, Myrna, Erma, and Etta; brothers, Lyle, Ray, and Donald.

He is survived by his second wife Violet; sons, William (Marla) and Robert (Catherine); grandsons, David, Andrew, and Matthew; great granddaughters, Amelia, Ava, Elise, and Rosalee; brother-in-law Edwin Swanson; as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at the Mora United Methodist Church. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. A memorial service will be held at 2:30pm on Friday, June 10, 2016 at the Minnehaha Funeral Home in Garretson, South Dakota with visitation at 2pm and burial to follow at the Summit Hill Cemetery near Garretson. Arrangements are by the Akkerman Ingebrand Funeral Home of Mora. Condolences may be posted at www.aifuneralhome.com