Russell Dean Carr was born in Sacramento, CA, October 8, 1959, to James Dean and Hazel Hahn Carr. Russ’ dad was a member of the Air Force; he was an air traffic controller. The family was stationed in several places throughout the years. Russ lived in South Carolina, Germany for two years; first in a small town called Freising outside of Munich, and then in Berlin. The Carr family also lived in New Jersey where he and Mike caught snapping turtles at a pond (and got in trouble for that). Russ lived in Hemet, CA when his dad was based in Iceland. He then lived at Luke Airforce Base in Phoenix, AZ, and then moved back to Hemet, CA, where Russ graduated from high school. Russ loved boxing when he was young.
Russ married his high school sweetheart Rheo Fett, in 1979. They were married for eight years and lived in Hemet, Phoenix, Hemet again and Moreno, CA, divorcing in 1987.
He worked as a cement finisher in the 70s and 80s. Russ lived with his girlfriend Lucy in Manderson, WY until 1994 when she died of lupus and kidney failure.
Russ and Kathy became best friends in the late 90s when they both worked for a treatment center. A few years later Russ and Kathy Jo Peterson Murray Hale were married on April 25, 2004, at Pactola Lake, SD. Kathy was raising her four-year-old grandson, Christopher, and presented Russ with a package deal of an instant family which he told her he always wanted. Russ didn’t have any biological children. On the day of the outdoor wedding the weather was ever-changing throughout the day, tampering with pre-planned events. It rained, it hailed, it snowed and then the sun shined; similar to the 17-year marriage of Russ and Kathy!
Russ, Kathy, and Chris lived in Hay Springs, and Rapid City, SD; Pine Bluffs, and Cheyenne, WY; Crookston, and Valentine. Russ worked in the retail business in the later years of his life; he was a people person. He enjoyed helping others and making people happy. Russ enjoyed working with his Bomgaars family in Valentine these past years where he called his co-workers his friends.
Russ and Kathy took turns working throughout the years so that one of them was available for Chris while he was growing up. Chris required a little extra parental support in going to school. When Chris graduated from the eighth grade, Russ received an award of “Perfect Attendance!” Russ was a wonderful dad to Chris, and he couldn’t have been more loving and devoted to raising him as his own.
Russ was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. He has many friends across the country, and he loved the fellowship. He celebrated seven years of sobriety on July 23, 2021. He was an excellent role model of the willingness to change that it takes to live a life of sobriety one day at a time. Russ supported many people on their paths to sobriety.
Russ loved fishing; he especially liked to go fishing alone. He found peace and serenity in being in nature. Russ loved to be on a boat in the water and he spent much of his childhood on a boat fishing in the Colorado River with his Grandpa Carr and family. Russ used to go with his dad, Uncle Braswell, and Aunt Leenie “Jeeping” in the “dunes” of California and fishing at the Salton Sea. Russ also liked to go camping and kayaking. When Russ found the old motorhome to fix up, he really scored! He paid $300 for that motorhome, and he had years of camping with it; on its last trip it had to be pulled back to the house.
Russ had a love for CB radios and Ham radio. He spent hours dialing in and talking on the radio to people in Australia and other places. He had a whip antenna on top of his house and had a license to communicate with others via the radio when he lived in Wyoming. His CB handle was “Mavrik.”
Russ loved motorcycles. He loved to ride both alone and with others. He began going to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2010. He only missed one Rally afterwards and that was due to Covid-19 and shoulder surgery. Russ and Kathy had many rides on their bikes with friends from Wyoming and Nebraska.
Russ loved humor. He had a quick wit and he loved practical jokes and making people laugh. He had nicknames for many of his friends (some knew their nickname, and some didn’t!). The more he could keep you guessing the better. He had a unique ability to talk with a sober face and convince you of whatever he wanted. It was always hard to determine whether his story was true or not because of his “poker face.”
Russ liked to tell the story of how he put a katydid on Grandpa Leonard Carr’s boot and the katydid climbed up his pants. He had to drop his pants and shake them out to rid the bug. Russ got up and started running and grandpa chased him down the street in his underwear. Russ said he didn’t go home until after dark that night! He had another story about a bobcat that we just can’t share here.
Russ would share another story of how “my grandma tried to kill me when I was a kid.” Grandma “Ethel” Hahn had a doorbell at the front door and at the back door. Russ would ring the bell and hide; watching his grandma become frustrated at no one being at the door. She finally caught him and chased him down the street telling him she was going to kill him when she caught him. Sources say he wasn’t the only one she tried to kill!
Russ liked Facebook; particularly liking to “stir the pot of drama” when he could. He enjoyed getting reactions to his Facebook posts! Facebook became a great source of entertainment for him, especially the last couple years. He watched boxing, and comedy, on YouTube and TV often. He also had a great love of music from many genres.
Russ is survived by his wife, Kathy and son Christopher of Valentine; sons Steve Murray (Veronica) of Sturgis, MS, Kevin Murray (Jamie) and Rodney Murray (Melissa) of Crookston; mother, Hazel Carr and brother Mike Carr of LaGrange, WY; sisters Janene Walt of Phoenix, AZ, and Natalie Fox of Cheyenne, WY; father-in-law Rex Dale Peterson; mother-in-law Iva Vinelle Hamar Peterson; brother-in-law Floyd Peterson (Kathy) of Rapid City, SD; and sister-in-law Pamela Bohman (Tom) of Minot, ND; nine grandchildren, one great grandchild, one aunt, several nieces, nephews, cousins, and many lifelong friends.
Russ was preceded in death by his father, James Dean Carr (1933-2011), several aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
Funeral services were held Saturday, September 18, 2021 at the United Methodist Church in Valentine. Sandoz Chapel of the Pines was in charge of service arrangements.
