Russell Paul Albert, age 91, died Sunday, February 12, 2017, at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield, Ohio.  His death followed 10 weeks of struggle against the recurrence of prostate cancer and related issues.  His death occurred on the 10th anniversary of the passing of his daughter Judy.

He was born on January 23, 1926, in Andover, OH,  a son of Clifford Ray ( Sunshine) Albert and Lena Bell Lewis.  He had an older brother Emerson, and younger twin brothers Darl and Dale and a younger sister Pauline.  He graduated from Andover High School in 1944.  He, with his close friend Steve Cole, had previously enlisted in an Army program that allowed them to graduate from high school before entering the service.  On June 28, 1944, Steve and Russ reported to Fort Benjamin Harris near Indianapolis, IN, for their induction into the Army.  After basic training in Ft Sill, OK, he was assigned to the 570th Artillery Battalion at Ft Bragg, NC.  He was trained as a surveyor and later became a “computer” man in a crew operating 180 mm long range guns.  After being promoted to a T-4 Tech Sergeant, his unit was sent to the Philippines to become part of the invasion force of Japan.  He was honorably discharged in May, 1946.

On April 27, 1947, Russell and Anna Mary Burgess were married in Leon, Ohio.  They raised three children, Larry Ray, Judith  Mae, and Jeffrey Jay.  In 2009, they celebrated 62 years of marriage;  Mary died in July of that same year. 

After the service Russell worked as a mechanic at the Ashtabula Ford Garage and later became  the Service Manager.  In 1958 after becoming disillusioned with the ownership, he started Albert’s Automotive, renting space on Main St. from Harold Purvis.   With a sign on his door calling himself , the Doctor of Motors,  he did mechanical work on cars  and small trucks, specializing on transmissions and  air conditioning for the next 32 years.  Jeff took over the business in 1991.  In 2015 they celebrated 57 years of continuous service.  The business was recently sold to the Warren family of Ashtabula who will maintain the Albert’s Automotive name and reputation.

Russell became an avid  bicyclist   in his adult years.  He and Mary were early tandem riders.  Russell  especially liked riding with his family, typically  sons Larry and Jeff,  daughter in law Jan and his brother Dale.   Cycling highlights included week long trips in Washington,  Utah, Montana, Florida  and Iowa and one trek from Iowa back home.  Larry and Russell  rode TOSRV (Tour of the Scioto River) an annual weekend ride from Columbus to Portsmouth for 38 years.  

Entertaining the kids was always a special talent for Russell; he could sit backwards on the handlebars of a bike and ride it forward, looking over his shoulder to see where he was going.  He could also  juggle.  Another hobby was ice skating and teaching the neighborhood kids how to skate.  He learned to play tennis after he retired.   He  was a lifetime bowler, actually bowling his last games on Wednesday before entering the hospital  on Saturday.  He was also an inventor;  his creations included a recumbent front wheel drive bicycle, a weeping willow tree branch trimmer, and a hand crank TV antenna rotation device.  He was always adding pockets, ear tabs and vent holes to his clothing.  He was an avid reader and continued always to learn new things.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife  Mary in 2009,   daughter Judy in 2007 and brothers Emerson and Darl. He is survived by his sons, Larry (Jan) Albert of Painesville and Jeff (Sharon) of Ashtabula   He has 7 grandchildren (Brian Taylor, Jenn (Tom) Theis,  Amanda(Brandon) Davis, Megan Albert, Shawnda (Tom) Tench, Shad  (Sarah) Sungren and Julie (John) Koschik  and 9 great grandchildren, ( Allison, Katelyn, Alaina, Adelyn, Evan, Ryan,  Reid, Laura and Erin)  He has one brother, Dale ( Barb) of Zephyrhills, FL,  and one sister, Pauline (Alan) Headman of Ashtabula.

Visitation will be held on Thursday evening, Feb. 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Ashtabula Home of Fleming & Billman Funeral Directors and Crematory, 526 Prospect Rd, Ashtabula, Ohio.  The funeral service will follow immediately after at 7:00 p.m.; Pastor Bruce Wyand, of the First Covenant Church in Ashtabula will officiate.   The burial will occur on Friday, Feb. 17th, at Maple Grove Cemetery in Andover, Ohio, at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made payable to  The Metroparks and mailed to the Greenway Trail Fund, Ashtabula County Metroparks, 25 W. Jefferson St., Jefferson, OH  44047.

The Fleming and Billman Funeral Directors and staff are honored to serve the Russell P. Albert family. Visit fleming-billman.com to view obituary, express condolences or to light a candle.

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