Evelyn A. Russell

Evelyn A. Russell, 81, of Wakefield, died Sunday. She was the wife of James F. Russell, whom she married June 15, 1952. Born in Medford, MA, she was a daughter of the late William and Mary (Cassani) Shepard. As a young girl, she moved in with and was raised by her aunt and uncle, Anna and Jim Cassani, and cousins Janice, Robert and James. She graduated from Medford, MA High School in 1946 and then the Hickox Secretarial School in Boston, where she later taught shorthand. Mrs. Russell retired from the Greenwich, CT school system, having been the secretary at Central Junior High School, a position from which she derived great satisfaction. She was a Brownie leader and a library volunteer. She was an accomplished seamstress, cook, gardener, decorator and homemaker, and a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother . She enjoyed playing the piano, music, theatre, literature and especially the seashore. In her retirement, she enjoyed travel, especially to Italy, where she found some of her distant relatives. She will be remembered for her great sense of humor. Besides her husband, she is survived by two daughters, Melinda Russell of Northfield, MN and Beth (Jeff) Berry of Dallas, TX; four grandchildren, Noor Russell of Northfield, MN and Trevor, Reagan and Brooke Berry of Dallas, TX. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday at 10 AM at Christ the King Church, 180 Old North Road, Kingston. Burial will be private. Visiting hours will be at the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia Street, Wakefield, Wednesday 6-8 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to South County Hospital, 100 Kenyon Avenue, Wakefield, RI 02879.