Russell Wilcox

FUNERAL SERVICES: 11:00 a.m. at Jones-Pearson Funeral Home on Friday, April 24thSURVIVORS: He is survived by his wife; two sisters, La Donna Ogden and Mary Larsen, both of Park Rapids, MN; three sons, James of Minneapolis, MN, Scott (Sherry) of Casper, WY and Trent of Glendale, AZ; four grandchildren, Alissa of Tempe, AZ, Daniel of Casper, WY, David of Brainerd, MN and Riley of Glendale, AZ; three great-grandchildren, Isabella, Kaylin and Clay. Russell Henry Wilcox June 8, 1919 ~ April 16, 2009 Russell Henry Wilcox, 89, of Park Rapids, a member of this country's "Greatest Generation," died peacefully Thursday, April 16, 2009 at his home. He was born June 8, 1919 in Park Rapids to Sidney and Anna Wilcox and attended Park Rapids public school graduating in 1938. During his younger years, he worked for various businesses in Park Rapids and Bemidji including Bishops, Park Rapids Creamery, Gill Bros. Clothing and Butler's Market. In fact, an unfortunate accident at Butler's left him without two fingers on his pitching hand during an era when he was playing for the Cubs in San Diego effectively ending a promising baseball career. He then attended Bemidji State University until he was called to serve in the armed forces during World War II. On the day following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he proceeded to the U.S. Marine recruiting station but his disabled hand led to a denied enlistment; the U.S. Army followed suit. Finally, one year later, in 1942, he was allowed to serve in the Army and was soon shipped to Italy where as a member of the Tank Destroyers he often worked behind enemy lines to provide intelligence on enemy operations. He received numerous military honors during the war including a Bronze Star "for meritorious achievement in ground operations against the enemy in the European Theatre of Operations on or about February 27, 1945." In all, he served three and a half years during World War II and remained in Europe for a period following the war as part of the occupation forces. During the Korean War, his country called him back to active duty from which he returned home in 1952. Eventually, he retired with 26 years of combined service in the Army and National Guard. Following his military service, he worked for the U.S. Post Office in Park Rapids and retired from there in 1984. He married Donna Lee Dalen on December 27, 1952 and lived in Bemidji and Moorhead before returning to Park Rapids. As anyone who listened to his stories can attest, he had a passion for sports having played baseball, football, basketball, boxing and track in high school and he continued playing sports after graduation including his stint with the Cubs organization and the military teams. Eventually, his athletic passion turned to golf and he became a staple at Headwaters Golf Club where he greatly enjoyed providing golf instruction to youngsters. He was a member of Riverside United Methodist Church, American Legion Post 212 and Headwaters Golf Club. He is survived by his wife; two sisters, La Donna Ogden and Mary Larsen, both of Park Rapids, MN; three sons, James of Minneapolis, MN, Scott (Sherry) of Casper, WY and Trent of Glendale, AZ; four grandchildren, Alissa of Tempe, AZ, Daniel of Casper, WY, David of Brainerd, MN and Riley of Glendale, AZ; three great-grandchildren, Isabella, Kaylin and Clay. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Grant. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Jones-Pearson Funeral Home on Friday, April 24th followed by a luncheon at the Park Rapids American Legion. Honorary casket bearers will be Daniel Wilcox, David Wilcox, Alissa Wilcox and Riley Wilcox.