Russell Junior Summerfield

Russell Junior Summerfield, age 86 of Otisville, passed away on October 7, 2024. Russell passed as he lived, surrounded by his loving wife and family. His funeral service has already taken place.

Russell was a true family man. He was a devoted husband to his beloved wife, Carol, for 66 years. Their exemplary marriage is revered by the entire family. Russ was born at home in Otisville on March 12, 1938, to Norman and Clara Summerfield. He had two siblings and grew up in the areas surrounding Flint. Russ was a smart, hardworking man who began working early in life to support his family. He retired from General Motors Buick City after 30 years. He also worked many side jobs, sharing his love of carpentry and fixing cars with others.

Family was everything to Russ. As a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he was patient, kind, funny, and wise. He treasured his wife, Carol. They met in their early teens and have been together ever since. Russ and Carol had two daughters, Cheryl, and Dawn. The four of them were very close, which continued as their daughters married and started families of their own. Russ and Carol's marriage was a marriage for the books. They always got along, shared many interests, and loved joking together. Russ and Carol spent their time making memories with family, travelling, riding bikes, gardening, cooking, listening to music, watching movies, relaxing in the sunroom, and truly enjoying doing anything together. Their dog, Mollie, was Russ's faithful companion. He made her chicken on the grill every week and always kept a watchful eye on her. Russ was full of life and could offer wisdom or joke in any situation. He knew when to insert the perfect one-liner and could make anyone laugh, whether he knew them or not! His sense of humor was sharp and witty. Russ was always there to offer support and advice to those in need. He was the strong, steady rock of the family.

Russ had many interests and excelled in everything he did. He was a true handyman who built his family home, handcrafted custom guitars from scratch, made furniture pieces, and could fix anything, including cars and appliances. He personally maintained his home and property no matter what challenges arose. Russ loved and could repair all things mechanical: cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, tractors, golf carts, etc. He was a self-taught musician who could play the guitar, drums, keyboard, organ, and sing. Russ was proud of his handcrafted guitars, often playing and singing for his wife and family. Russ even taught some of his grandchildren to play guitar. In addition to playing music, he listened to many musicians and collected records. Russ was also an avid outdoorsman. His outdoor hobbies included gardening, fishing, hunting, and shooting. Russ was a great marksman and shared this passion with his wife, son-in-law, Jack, and grandchildren. He was always happy to send visitors home with fresh produce from his beautiful garden and share gardening tips. Later in life, Russ took an interest in technology. He built a computer, gamed with his grandchildren, enjoyed surfing the web on his iPad, and learned new skills on YouTube. Russ was a movie buff with an impressive movie collection. He particularly enjoyed John Wayne films and Westerns. His grandchildren loved movie nights at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Russ and Carol also taught many of their grandchildren to play euchre and would play cards whenever their family asked. Russ thrived, living a full, happy life with Carol.

Russell will be missed dearly by those he loved. He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol; daughter, Cheryl (Jack) Layman; grandchildren: Jared (Lindsay) Layman, Cristen (Charles) King, Ryan Rockwell, Cara (Joel) Stone, Amber (Alex) Miller, Joel Layman, and James Layman; and six great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Dawn Rockwell, and grandson, Noah Rockwell, parents, and siblings. Russ's memory will forever live on through his family.