Tipton, IA

Russell J Darrow, 91, of Tipton, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Monday, December 17, 2018, at home following a brief illness.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 am Friday, December 21, 2018 at Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa, where the family will greet friends from 9:00 am to the time of service.  Pastor Jonathan Smith of the Tipton Bible Church will officiate. Military honors will be accorded immediately following the funeral. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Mechanicsville.

Russell James Darrow was born December 13, 1927 in rural Anamosa, the son of James and Elizabeth (Hannan) Darrow. He attended Morley Schools graduating as valedictorian. He attended Coe College and studied forestry for a short time.

Russell grew up during the Great Depression and was the youngest of four children.  During this time he learned the value of hard work and making do with what they had.  At a young age he learned to sing while working with his father on the family farm. Singing was a gift he loved and blessed others with his entire life.  He loved farming, however, when Russ was 17 his father died and after the family farm was sold he worked for other area farmers.  He did some factory work in Cedar Rapids before he entered the US Navy in 1950.  He served his country on board the USS Kenneth Whiting during the Korean War and received an honorable discharge in 1954.  He married Ruth Lowe in 1957 and became the father of her daughter Debbie.  They lived in Cedar Rapids before making their home in Mechanicsville. They had two daughters Laura and Val. The couple later divorced.

He was employed as a lathe operator, holding a supervisor position for a time at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids.  After retiring from Collins he began his second career as a pumper in the natural gas fields operated by AMCO in Wyoming. Retiring once again he moved to Dubois, Wyoming.  He worked for two newspapers, the Frontier weekly and the Casper Star.  In 2013 he moved back to Iowa to be closer to his family.

Russ did many things in his life including being a Boy-Scout Leader, playing and watching baseball and singing at church, weddings and funerals. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, camping, cutting wood, gardening, photography. He was an avid reader and his books were among his prized possessions.

Those remembering him are his children Debra Nerbonne, Cedar Rapids, Laura (Warren) Wethington, Tipton, Valerie (John) Randolph, Muscatine, grandchildren Heather Woodard, Rebecca Cole, Jeffrey Woodard, James Woodard, Quincy Fuller, Bethany Wethington, and Nicole Wethington and great grandchild Paris Fuller, along with many friends and relatives.

He was preceded in death by his siblings Esther Moehl, Richard Darrow, and Mable Cuneo.

The family would like to thank the folks at Ditto's in Stanwood for their love and friendship.

Thoughts, memories, and condolences may be shared with the family at Goettschonline.com