Bill was born 59 years ago on July 10, 1963, at Piedmont Hospital to Joy Daly and James L. Russ, Jr. One of Bill’s proudest achievements was his service in the US Navy during Operation Desert Storm. He was as an AO3 on board a P-3 Orion patrol plane. Bill made lifelong friends from elementary to high school to those he served with during combat and beyond. He cared very deeply for his friends and family.
After leaving the Navy, he followed his maternal grandfather’s legacy—the love of cooking. Bill graduated from the Atlanta Culinary Institute. He was a masterful chef, working at several leading Atlanta restaurants. His signature macaroni and cheese, pork barbecue and smoked turkey delighted the taste buds of many. Most requested of all his epicurean delights was his famous Wild Bill’s Mustard. The secret recipe passed down from his grandfather, Bill Daly owner of the Red Barn restaurant at Chastain Park. It wasn’t Christmas without a jar of Bill’s delicious mustard.
Bill loved NASCAR, camping, hunting, and fishing.
Bill was predeceased by his grandparents and his mother, Joy Daly Russ. He is survived by his father, James L. Russ, Jr., his brother, Trey Russ and wife Vivien, his sister Dean Russ Crowe and husband Reid, nephews Jonathan Crowe and wife Katie, Russ Crowe and wife Emily, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends.
A funeral mass followed by a reception will be held at Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Sandy Springs, GA on Friday September 16, 2022, at 10 AM. Please wear bright colors. Internment will take place at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA in November.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Bill’s memory to the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research – www.RallyFoundation.org or Camp Hope at www.ptsdusa.org. And as Bill would always say, “Aloha!”
