WILMINGTON — George Bennett Russ, Jr passed away on a bright sunny morning on October 19, 2024 at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC. He is survived by his devoted wife, Sybil Grissett Russ, his daughter, Kathryn Lynn Russ, both of Wilmington, NC, and many cousins. He was loved beyond measure.
George was born on November 17, 1938 in Wilmington, NC at James Walker Memorial Hospital. He was the son of the late Emily Edwards Russ and George Bennett Russ, Sr. He was also predeceased by his younger sister, Emily Ann Russ Hill.
George was generous, kind, and compassionate. As a teenager, he had a job as one of “Santa’s helpers” for a local toy store. On Christmas Eve night, he assembled swing sets in children’s yards so that they would wake up and see Santa’s gifts in their yards on Christmas morning. He wore a Santa hat so that parents could tell their children that he was “Santa’s helper” if the children saw him.
He was also fun-loving and a bit mischievous. George loved to tell a story about some of his friends who had parts in a live nativity scene set up on the church lawn. Standing still in the nativity scene must have gotten a bit tedious, so he distracted his friends with a pea shooter.
George graduated from New Hanover High School in 1956 and attended Wilmington College. However, he was too adventurous for college and decided to join the US Air Force instead. Once his enlistment was over, he returned to Wilmington. He was very interested in law enforcement and joined the North Carolina State Highway Patrol in 1963 because “they were the sharpest guys on the road.”
George loved the Highway Patrol. He loved flying down the highway, but he loved helping and protecting people even more. He was so dedicated that he thought nothing of working an 8-hour shift and then immediately going back out for another 6 hours to handle an emergency.
While on the Highway Patrol, he was given the opportunity to go to the FBI National Academy for law enforcement officers in Quantico, VA. There he met new friends who served in law enforcement all over the world. After graduating from the FBI National Academy, he served as the NC chapter president.
George spent his entire career on the Highway Patrol, rising up through the ranks. He retired as a major in 1995 with 32 years of service.
However, once he retired, he wasn’t ready to sit down and just relax. He started working part-time as a driver for a company called Chemtex. His job was to drive engineers from Wilmington to the airport in Raleigh. He loved being on the road again but said he wished he had a blue light and siren. Every time another driver sped past him, he said “his ticket pencil practically jumped out of his pocket.”
In addition to driving for Chemtex, he also volunteered as a driver for New Hanover Regional Medical Center. The hospital can be a scary place even when you are just a visitor, but his friendliness and compassion put his passengers at ease.
George was also a member of the Wilmington Lions’ Club where he served as president. He regularly participated in all of their charity fundraising events, such as golf tournaments, broom sales, and visits to the Boys’ and Girls’ Home of NC.
George was a member of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church since 1997 and served as an usher for most of those years.
Finally, George had a tightly-knit group of friends who played golf together every week. The four of them were a great source of support for each other in good times and challenging times. Over his many years of playing golf, George made a hole-in-one once and received a trophy to commemorate it. One of his favorite professional golfers was Gary Player who once said, “If there’s a golf course in heaven, I hope it’s like Augusta National.”
A memorial service will be held at St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 2nd at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church or the charity of your choice.
