Russell Lee Georgeson, 92, cherished husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 28. His was a life well lived, filled with making memories with the family he adored and who treasured every moment with him.
Russell was born on January 8, 1922 to Rose and Leroy Georgeson in Racine. Following graduation from Oshkosh High School in 1940, he joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and served throughout the European and African Theaters of Operation during World War II. Before heading off to war, he met and married the love of his life, Ruth (nee: Kluender), his wife, best friend and greatest companion for the next 73 years. After the war, Russell earned his Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) degree from the University of Wisconsin, and Ruth and Russ began their family, which would eventually grow to include 8 children, 23 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. Russ was a pharmacist at Red Cross Drugstores and the Southern Center, retiring in 1987. He and Ruth then moved to their dream home on Lake Buttes des Morts in Oshkosh, where they enjoyed many happy, fun-filled years together.
Russell was a man of many interests and whatever he set his mind to do, he did it well. He was an accomplished archer (a Gold Medalist in the 1998 Senior Olympics), an avid cyclist, and a talented woodcrafter. He loved spending time outdoors – hunting, fishing, clearing trails, hiking – at his favorite place in the world, the Medicine Man Lodge, the log cabin he built with his sons 50 years ago in the heart of the North Woods of Wisconsin. Russ’s legacy is more than all he accomplished in his life, it is the way he lived his life, the kind of person he was. Russ was a hard-working man with a kind and gentle spirit. He had a quiet strength and a soft touch. A man whose wisdom was earned, not learned. Simply, he was a good and honorable man in every way.
Left to forever remember him with deepest love and affection are his wife Ruth, and their children: Pat (John) Green of Sheboygan; Joe (Linda) Georgeson of Fredonia; Jim (Sandy) Georgeson, John (Cynthia) Georgeson, Cathie (John) Lehman, Jean (Joe) Boticki and Peter (Peggy) Georgeson all of Racine; along with their 23 adoring grandchildren and 32 precious great-grandchildren throughout Wisconsin, in Minnesota, Iowa California, the U.K. and China; his sister, Eileen Bolton of Chicago, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert; his parents, brothers Richard and Leroy, his in-laws and his life-long friend, Robert “Red” Hedstrom.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, October 2, 2014, 11:00am, at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 6400 Spring Street. Visitation will be from 10:00am until the time of the service. Entombment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery on Highway 32 in Caledonia. The family has suggested memorials to Hospice Alliance of Pleasant Prairie or the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
The family would like to send a special “Thank You” to Julie and Myra from Hospice Alliance as well as the caregivers at Parkside Manor. The care love and care given to our father during his time of illness will never be forgotten.
Catherine Saaski says
Love you Grandpa!
Mary (Sowinski) Gapko says
I felt sad when I read of Russ Georgeson’s passing. I was out of town the week of the service. For those that remember me, I was their babysitter and neighbor on Blake Ave. You are in my thoughts and prayers.