Virginia Gay Walker Russell, 94, Vero Beach
Virginia Gay Walker Russell, 94, of Vero Beach, died Aug. 18, 2017. She led an extraordinary life. She was born in Palm Beach on Sept. 20, 1922, a true native Floridian.
In her youth, she played in her father’s citrus groves, and in the native Florida cypress hammocks, swamps and beaches. She was often seen in town, sporting a diamond ring on her toe, and a pet green tree snake on her wrist as a bracelet. Her free spirit and unconventional style stayed with her all her life.
She attended college at Florida State College for Women, now Florida State University, joined the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, and then transferred to the University of Kentucky, where she graduated with a degree in Psychology. After working for a time at the Chicago Institute of Psychoanalysis, she moved to New York City, where she worked as a model. In her later years, she liked to return for a visit to see the holiday decorations. While in New York, she took a job with Eastern Airlines, later moving to their Miami bureau. She had a private pilot’s license, and flew for pleasure, as well as volunteering for the Civil Air Patrol. She also joined the American Motorcycle Association, and often rode with her brother in a touring club.
In 1953, she married Hugh Everett Russell, of Ashland, Ky. They settled into life in Vero Beach, where they raised four children and citrus. An enthusiastic lifelong member of the Garden Club, she loved both the gardening and the friendships of that community. Her favorite outdoor activities included hunting, fishing, tennis and boating. She had many diverse hobbies and outlets for her creative spirit, including needlepoint, decoupage, painting and jewelry design and implementation. She hosted dinners and entertainments that were often unique and exotic. She also volunteered with the Hospital Auxiliary, serving at various times with the Ambulance Squad, the Blood Bank, Pink Ladies and the VNA. She was a member of several clubs in Vero, including Riomar Bay Yacht Club, John’s Island, Windsor and Quail Valley. She attended Trinity Episcopal Church for many years, and later, returned to the Community Church which she had attended in her youth.
When she was young, she developed a taste for travel and adventure with her parents, which she enjoyed for the rest of her life. Never a “tourist,” she met many like-minded fellow travelers and enjoyed connecting with them through cards and letters over the years. In her later years, she enjoyed spending summers in her cabin in Colorado watching the hummingbirds at the foot of the Castles and Anthracite mountains. She liked to wait for the first snowfall to return to Vero. It was a tradition that reflected the course of much of her charmed life.
Sadly, her adventures ended in her 95th year. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her brother, her two sisters and many wonderful friends and relatives.
She is survived by her four children, a daughter-in-law and five grandchildren, as well as nieces, nephews and many other friends and acquaintances. Her zest for life, her spirit of exploration and her joy and delight in all things endures for any who met her, and she has simply gone on to the next adventure.
Our gratitude to her many caregivers and to Hospice. She will be interred among family in a private ceremony.
