Joe Trenton Russell

Joe Trenton Russell, age 95, passed away October 26, 2020 at Stillwater Medical Center surrounded by friends and family. Dighton Marler Funeral Home of Stillwater is entrusted with arrangements.
Joe was born June 2, 1925 to Jasper and Elizabeth Russell. He was the youngest of 5 children: brothers P.G., Doyle, Clemente and sister, Alba. He attended a one room country school and later attended Perkins High School. He had a vivid memory of becoming a Christian in 1937 at age 12: “I was in the pasture with 2 Jersey cows. I fell to my knees came up singing and I knew I was saved. My life changed forever at that moment.”
Joe was always a hard worker, remembering that he and his 4 siblings helped their parents on the farm from very young ages, getting up early, milking cows, finishing chores before going to school.
Joe and Lucille Harmon married in 1946. Joe said Lucille became well known in Perkins as “she must have taught EVERY kid in town,” retiring as Middle School Principal. Joe retired also so that they could enjoy taking trips together around the country. They took several trips before Lucille passed away.
Joe farmed 10 years before going to work for Midland Pipeline. The last 18 months at Midland, he traveled to Oklahoma City to attend night school, studying mechanical maintenance. He worked as Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor at OSU until retirement. “I never had cross word with the kids. I never ‘heard anything’ or ‘saw anything’ at the dorms because my job was maintenance supervision, not student supervision.”
Joe and Bennie Patterson married in 1987. He had two requirements for anyone he might marry at that time: that she be 1) Baptist and 2) a Democrat. Bennie was both. She was a housemother at the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and Joe remembers 36 girls meeting him at the door of the sorority house to check him out when he picked Bennie up for their first date. They married, Bennie moved to Perkins where she and Joe lived a full and happy life sharing many interests: active membership in the Perkins First Baptist Church, attending high school basketball games, playing card games with good friends, attending Town and Gown performances. They both loved fishing and taking cross country bus trips.
Joe was an avid gardener, most recently telling about a recurring dream he was having of maintaining a community garden for Perkins where anyone could come and plant their own crops. He was a regular in the first booth at McDonald’s early every morning with dear friends. The conversations in that booth were worthy of publication, full of wisdom, humor, and warmth. It was a rare Sunday that Joe missed going to church. He was devoted to the Perkins First Baptist Church, having joined in 1937.
Joe is survived by his sister Alba Green of Houston, seven nephews, 4 nieces, and daughter Melanie Aven and son-in-law Paul Kincade.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, October 30, 2020, at Perkins First Baptist Church, with Mr. Marty Voelker officiating. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Garden, Stillwater. Condolences may be sent to the family via an online guestbook at www.dightonmarler.com.