In Loving Memory and Celebration of the Life Of

Jack Koyte Russell, Jr.

1954 - 2025

Jack was born on November 30, 1954 in Haskell, Texas and passed from this life on August 7,
2025.

Jack started going by JK because he bore the same name as his father, but he did not want to
be called "Junior." Many times people could not remember which set of initials to use. Even as
an elementary aged kid he would tell his friends, "if you can say your abc's, you can tell me "Hi"
and remember my name. abcdefg HI JK lmnop…"

Growing up his family moved frequently since his dad worked for the Santa Fe Railroad. One of
his earliest memories was when he was around 4 yrs old. He had a friend whose mom would
give each one of them a fresh tortilla each afternoon. It was slathered with butter and all rolled
up. They thought that was just so great. He lived in just about every tiny town in west Texas
until his dad was promoted to Roadmaster when the family moved to Lubbock.

JK attended Haynes Elementary School, Evans Jr. High, and Monterey High School in Lubbock.
As a sophomore in high school geometry class, he sat behind a girl with long red hair. She
always came rushing into class directly from PE. She would try to cool off by flipping her long
hair back causing JK to have to dodge the flying locks. But it got his attention. That girl became
his sweetheart and in 1979 JK and Lois were married in Lubbock. They remained devoted to
one another for 45 years.

In high school JK took drafting and decided he wanted to be an Architect. He graduated from
Texas Tech University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Architecture. In 1983 he passed his exams
and became a Registered Architect. He was involved in many unique and interesting
multimillion dollar projects that spanned across the country. He also joined with two others to
develop Lake Park Estates, a luxury townhome development in Richardson, Texas. One of the
fun things about being a partner was that he named the streets within the development. JK had
a wealth of architectural experience and knowledge, and was always eager to train and/or
mentor any younger architect who was open to learning.

JK was an excellent photographer and an avid gardener. He would haunt the trash bins of the
nurseries and bring home pitiful little plants. More times than not, he nurtured them back to life.
He found it "centering" to work in the garden. He would always come in and say, "Isn't God
amazing? He made the tiniest little flowers and the mighty trees, all the various shades of green
and leaf patterns." JK had a keen eye for detail and he was always in awe of what a garden
reflected about our Creator and the "nature" of God. His final project before leaving this life was
to create in his backyard an accessible, gracious welcoming garden. The paths he designed
are relaxed and inviting. His joy was a beautiful tall blue urn fountain that he could see from the
den.

As a teenager, JK was baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. And because
Christ has been resurrected, JK knew he would one day also be resurrected, never to die again.
For a man of sophisticated taste with a keen sense for detail and design, he truly had a child-
like faith in God. Throughout the last years of his life when he fought through debilitating health
issues, his faith did not diminish, instead it grew. He would say, "The Lord is in charge, not us."
And he was at peace with that. He always had prayers of gratitude even on the most awful
health days. Now he is with Jesus free from bodily pain, ready to be resurrected into a life that
has conquered death.

JK was preceded in death by his mother, Iva Iris Morgan Russell and his father, Jack Koyte
Russell. JK is survived by his wife Zeta Lois Boyd Russell, family by blood brother Kerry Leigh
Russell (wife Randi Davis Russell) of Tyler, Texas; niece Katie Alison Russell Specht (husband
Luke Specht), great nieces Olivia Alison Specht and Parker Claire Specht of McKinney, Texas
and many beloved cousins. He is survived by family of choice daughter Norma Johnson
(husband Sean Johnson) and great-grandson Sean Johnson, Jr. of Princeton, Texas and by
many kind friends.

The date for the Celebration of Life where friends and family can gather and share wonderful
memories of JK is on October 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Williams Memorial Chapel, with a reception at 10:00 AM.  There will be a private family burial service in Lubbock on August 14.

Donations may be made to the following organizations:
Eastern European Missions www.eem.org
Lubbock Children's Home Foundation https://chfinc.org/
World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/
Any community garden of your choice