Russell Lewis Kunz, born Sept. 15, 1919, in Leland, Washington was a lifelong native of Jefferson County, Washington. His wife, Dorothy Elizabeth Kunz, preceded him in passing in 1984. After 38 years, they are together again.
Russ was born and raised in Leland, Washington and he enjoyed telling interesting stories of his youth. At 13 years of age, he and his brother, Ben, left home. They built a cabin in the woods and did odd jobs to earn grocery money. In 1941, when Russ was 22 years old, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in World War II until 1945. He made the rank of sergeant and was in charge of a tank destroyer within the 607th Tank Destroyer Battalion. During his military service, he received two Purple Heart medals and a Silver Star.
After he was honorably discharged from the Army, he met Dorothy Britschgi and he knew “she was the one.” They were married after a short courtship in July 1946. Throughout his civilian career, Russ worked at the local Crown Zellerbach paper mill. After 36 years of employment, he retired in 1981 to spend time with Dorothy, his children and grandchildren and to pursue his hobbies.
Throughout his life, Russ enjoyed the outdoors and had a passion for hunting, fishing and gardening. He was able to live independently until he was 100 years of age. Even in his final years, he was able to fish at Lake Leland and tend a garden. Russ was well-known in Port Townsend as the “man with the dahlia and gladiola flower garden near the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.”
Russ was the patriarch of a very large and loving family and is survived by his children, Sandy (and Pat) Wisbey, Russ (and Judy) Kunz, Mike (and Cindi) Kunz; 12 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. In addition to his wife, Dorothy, he was preceded in death by brothers Ernest and Benjamin and sisters Dorothy, Henrietta, and Helen.
There will be a graveside service at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Port Townsend, at 3 p.m. April 23. The service will be followed by a reception at the First Presbyterian Church Port Townsend. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Jefferson Healthcare Hospice, who provided Russ with excellent end-of-life care.
