Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Nova Scotia for funeral details
Dr. Russell Joseph Churchill, 91, of Marstons Mills, formerly Radford, Virginia, died on March 30, 2025. It is with heavy hearts that we announce his passing at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts. Russell was born on December 8, 1933 in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada, to parents John Churchill and Annabelle Churchill (MacLean) and was predeceased by his son Hywyn, his parents, and siblings Danny, Jackie, Alec, Annabelle (Sonnchsen), Winston and Robert.
Russell’s earliest influences growing up in Cape Breton created foundations that carried through his life. He was an Altar Server at St. Agnes Catholic Church, a member of the Boy Scouts, a self taught guitarist and singer, a devoted scholar, dedicated son and brother, a lover of the outdoors, and he had the determination to accomplish anything to which he set his mind.
Russell attended the first Canadian Boy Scout Jamboree in Ottawa in the summer of 1949. In 1950, he became the second scout in the history of New Waterford to earn the King’s Scout Award – the highest in scouting. He also represented New Waterford at the 1950 American Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania when he was Assistant Scout Leader of the first New Waterford troop. In his last year of high school, Russell won a place in the Rotary Adventures in Citizenship, spending a week in Ottawa. Russell exemplified many of the marvelous attributes of Rotarians and experienced the impact that Rotary can have on young people.
Russell’s brilliant academic career started upon his 1952 graduation from the Mount Carmel School in New Waterford. He won the Junior St. Anne’s Society scholarship, and the New Waterford Knights of Columbus scholarship which enabled him to commence his successful university studies. He earned his engineering certificate in 1955 from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. In 1957, Russell graduated with a Bachelor Degree with Honors in Electrical Engineering from Nova Scotia Technical College in Halifax. He was awarded the Athlone Fellowship from the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia which afforded him the opportunity to study in England, earning a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Birmingham and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1960.
His research work in high energy physics led him to roles in academia and industry, including Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada; Republic Aviation in Plainview, New York; Head of Electrical Engineering at Clarkson College, Potsdam, New York; and Head of Electrical Engineering at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Russell and Anne Williams were married in Birmingham, England on September 27, 1958. They started a family, then moved to British Columbia, then to the United States. During his 1968-1979 tenure at Colorado State University, Russell chaired the American West Program from 1973-1976, where he guided its evolution into an aggregation of films, conferences, seminars, and art exhibits related to Western Americana.
Russell enjoyed introducing his six children to the world through traveling, including a 2 week driving trip of Europe in an old Austin Westminster in 1976. He spent many summers driving a 1969 Cadillac with an attached camper across the country with his family, trout fishing in the Rocky Mountains, and playing the guitar and singing around the campfire. He had a lifelong love of music, performing for friends, retirement homes and the local community; a claim to fame was when Russell played with the Liverpool Spinners at the Cavern Club, opening for the QuarryMen, later known as the Beatles. Russell was a natural leader and teacher. He was involved in scouting through the years, teaching merit badge skills to the girl and boy scouts, including photography, science, hiking, and auto mechanics and held leadership positions in his son’s boy scout troops.
From 1975-76, Russell spent a sabbatical year teaching at Bangor University in Wales. Russell and Anne’s time on the Llyn Peninsula, enabled his family to experience their Welsh heritage first hand, while developing lifelong relationships with his brother-and sister-in law, John and Margaret Griffith and nieces, Anna, Ellen, Olwen and Iona.
In 1979, Russell moved his family to Radford, Virginia, for a position with Inland Motors, a Division of Kollmorgen Corporation, where he headed the Research and Development Department. He subsequently started his own companies, American Research Corporation of Virginia and International Scientific, where he remained until retiring well into his 80s. His dedication to federal government scientific research spanned over 40 years, including a NASA research project entitled “Measurement of Advanced Radiation-Shielding Materials for Deployment on MISSE-FF”, in which the experiment was sent to space in a rocket launch at NASA’s Wallops Island in 2018. Russell was named Radford Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year for 1996, and served as President of the Virginia Advanced Technology Association. In 2009, Dr. Russell J. Churchill was elected to the fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the Industrial Science and Technology section; he held 14 patents and was a lifelong member of IEEE.
Russell was a dedicated Rotarian since 1984, he was President of the Radford Rotary Club for years, through which he sponsored many Paul Harris Fellowships, The Dictionary Project and Radford High School Scholarships. He also honored his family members by naming each of them as Paul Harris Fellows, recognizing their contributions to community service.
Russell made many pilgrimages back to visit his family in Nova Scotia and Montreal. His son Hywyn helped facilitate epic trips from the wild terrain of Labrador to Newfoundland, where Russell was able to meet distant relatives and explore his ancestry. And in doing so, he forged a bond with his Canadian family and heritage, passing the torch to his children and grandchildren, embedding the culture of the country he loved that helped shape and guide him through his life. Russell was a creative and loving person, who had an enduring passion to explore life through learning. He selflessly gave everything he had to so many people and was dedicated to his beliefs, family, and lived by example and action. Russell’s brilliant dry humor and lyrical voice will remain in our memories. Russell moved to Marstons Mills on Cape Cod during the pandemic where he was well loved and cared for, once again finding himself by the ocean. We love you and will forever miss you. In this sad time, we turn to the incredible life you lived and thank you for sharing your life experiences with us.
Russell is survived by Anne Churchill, and his children Mair Churchill, Gwyneth Churchill, Ceri Williams (Fred Kuhlwilm), Darryl Churchill (Karen), Rhonwen Churchill, and 5 grandchildren Rhys Williams, Evan Churchill, Dylan Churchill, Rhiannon Vos, and Gareth Vos. He leaves behind nieces and nephews Wayne (Cathy), Danny (Celia), Michael (Michelle), Wendy (Steve), Carmella Fredrick (Lance), Paula Glendon (Mike), Deborah White (Bernie), Tony, Daniel (Darlene), Stephen (Carol), Ronald (Suzanne), Russell (Cathleen), Lucie (Joe Mathison), Steven Mazalin, Cathy Mazalin, Susan Mazalin, Shelly Mazalin, Pam Mazalin, Tina Marie and their families.
All are welcome to attend:
Memorial Celebration on May 15th at St. Andrew’s-By-The-Sea, Hyannis, Massachusetts,USA, at 2 PM, Reception following.
Funeral Mass on May 22 at 10:30 AM at The Parish Church of St. Leonard, New Waterford Nova Scotia, Canada, followed by burial at the Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery, reception following at the KOC. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to V.J. McGillivray Funeral Home, New Waterford, where condolences to the family may be expressed at: www.vjmcgillivray.ca.
Honoring the Life of
Dr. Russell Joseph Churchill
Cape Cod, Massachusetts:
Memorial Service and Reception on
Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
Service: St. Andrew’s-By-The-Sea at 2PM
12 Irving Ave., Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, 02647
Reception: Wimpy’s Seafood Restaurant, Following Service.
752 Main St., Osterville, Massachusetts, 02655
New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada:
Funeral and Burial Services on
Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Visitation: V. J. McGillivray Funeral Home Chapel, 9:00 a.m.
380 Smith Street, New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Funeral Mass: The Parish Church of St. Leonard, 10:30 a.m.
3180 Mount Carmel Ave., New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Burial Service: Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery Following Mass
George Street, New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Reception Following the Burial: KOC – Knights of Columbus Hall
3236 Plummer Ave., New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada.
1933 2025
Death notice for the town of: Glace-Bay, Province: Nova Scotia
death notice Dr Russell
Joseph
Churchill Marston MillsVirginia New Waterford 1933 2025
obituaries notice Dr Russell
Joseph
Churchill Marston MillsVirginia New Waterford 1933 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Russell
Joseph
Churchill Marston MillsVirginia New Waterford 1933 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.