Steven Edward Russell

Russell, Steven Edward, Knoxville – Steve Russell, age 55, passed away on July 9, 2015 after a determined battle with cancer. Before they think about anything else, people who knew Steve, remember his incredible intellect. To put it simply, Steve was one of the smartest men most of his family and friends ever knew. He was one of the few people in the world who could speak with equal expertise about the World Series, Macroeconomic Theories, and the art of French cooking. Steve was an expert in so many things; he could have had a successful career in almost anything he chose. He enjoyed serving others and was a bar tender and chef by trade, working at the Orangery and Ivory’s for many years and also with his brother, Dean Russell, at the Bleu Hound Grille, Hardwood Grill in Florida, and the Flatwater Grill. Later in life, he served as a cook for the elderly in assisted living facilities and found the most fulfilment in that work. Steve loved a good joke and would throw his head back and laugh in a way that sounded almost like the backfire of a motorcycle – it was infectious and frightening at the same time, and it inherently made you want to join him in the fun. He also had a voracious love of music history. Steve played “Name That Tune” with obscure piano concertos and won every time. Over the course of his lifetime, he read hundreds and hundreds of books, and could describe them in such a way that it would make you want to immediately purchase whatever he had most recently read and described. Steve is the son of Judye Stowers Russell and the late Kenneth Edward Russell. He is survived by his brother Dean Russell (Lynn Randolph), sister, Lee Ann Parker (Tim), and nieces Hannah Lee Parker and Kensey Zimmerman (Cody). He is preceded in death by grandparents, Eugene and Cora Russell, and Bethel Reed and Mary Lee Stowers. Later in life, he was most especially grateful for the encouragement he received from telephone buddies Louis Roberts, Colby Roberts, Gerald Revels, and his uncle, Earl Stowers, along with a host of other aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. The family will receive friends on Sunday evening from 5 – 7 p.m. at Berry Lynnhurst Funeral Home in Fountain City. A funeral service will be held at 7:00 p.m. that same evening, with Pastor Tim Parker officiating. The family and friends will meet at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Berry Lynnhurst Funeral Home to go in procession to the graveside service at 11:00 a.m. in Lynnhurst Cemetery. Pallbearers will be John Johnson, John Johnson, Jr., David Hurst, Reed Stowers, Gerald Revels, Jordan Harbison, Jonathan Harbison, and Cody Zimmerman. The family also wishes to send special gratitude to the physicians and nurses who provided care to Steve, most especially those who are a part of the caring staff of The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and the UT Cancer Center. Condolences may be offered at www.berrylynnhurst.com