Dorothy H Russell

Dorothy Hamilton Russell passed away Monday evening in Riverside, California, surrounded by her immediate family. A native of Chicago, Dorothy was born December 5th, 1923, and grew up on Chicagos south side. She loved to share stories of the old neighborhoods around her family lived, on Bensley and Escanaba. She was the oldest of three daughters born to Arthur Paul and Margaret Hamilton (nee Dillon). Dorothys sister Margaret remained in Chicago, marrying William Kerwin, and together they raised eight children. Her youngest sister, Alice, married Michael Hansen, and they moved to Tucson, Arizona and had one child. Dorothy moved to California in 1963 with her husband John Van Cleve Russell, and together they raised two daughters. Dorothy took care of everyone and everything that crossed her path. She knew early on that she wanted to be a nurse, and earned her AA degree in nursing at Riverside City College in 1976. As a registered nurse, she worked first at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, and then for many years at Juvenile Hall in Riverside. She would occasionally mention running into one of her “graduates” around town. She retired from nursing in 2008, and as she had always intended, went back to school and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at California Baptist University in 2009. She had the distinction of being in the first graduating class from CBUs RN to BSN program, and accepted with quiet humor the distinction of possibly being their oldest graduate. Dorothy was adventurous and energetic, always looking forward to the next road trip, ski trip or hike - maps were optional. Favorite destinations included Yosemite and Zion, Joshua Tree, Mammoth Mountain, Hawaii, Monterrey and Asilomar Conference Center. Just last August, Dorothy went whitewater rafting with her daughters. With an eye toward a future trip to Italy, she was learning a bit of Italian on her own. Dorothy is survived by her daughters Madeline Russell and Phyllis Russell, and Arthur Koertz, her son from an earlier marriage, along with her niece and nephews, her friends and everyone she made part of the family. She will be greatly missed by all those who loved her. If she were still with us, Dorothy would be telling you to suck it up and get your flu shot. The family has scheduled a viewing for Monday evening, March 14th, from 6 - 8 PM at Thomas Miller Mortuary, 1118 East 6th Street in Corona. A mass will be held at St. Catherine of Alexandria, 7005 Brockton Avenue, in Riverside on Tuesday, March 15th at 10:00 AM. Visitation Location Not Available Monday 3/14, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Service St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church 951-781-9855 | Tuesday 3/15, 10:00 am Cemetery Olivewood Memorial Park. 3300 Central Ave. Riverside, CA 92506 951-683-6611 | Thursday 1/1