BOONE, Iowa—Funeral arrangements have been set for Russell Rysavy, age 73 of Boone, Iowa. He passed away on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at the Boone County Hospital.
Russell Alan Rysavy was born on January 17, 1948 in Ord, Nebraska, the son of William and Lorraine (Tuma) Rysavy. He graduated from Ord High School in 1966 and continued his education at Southeast Community College, formerly known as Nebraska Technical School.
Russell moved to Iowa to work for the Iowa Department of Transportation. He worked as a draftsman with the DOT for 41 years until his retirement in 2010.
Russell met Rosalie Kingsbury through a friend and he always joked around that she “only liked him for his Plymouth car”. Russell was united in marriage with Rosalie on June 6, 1970 at Augustana Lutheran Church in Boone. From this union were three children, Rashele, Ryan and Rona.
Russell was involved in his children’s activities, helping with Boy Scouts and Indian Guides. He loved coaching Little League, being a coach for 20+ years and having the honor of being inducted into the Boone Little League Hall of Fame in 2005. The Rysavy family also made their way onto the dance floor for country western dancing as the children reached teenage years. Russell and Rosalie’s song they always danced to was “Amarillo by Morning” by George Strait.
Russell had a passion for stamp and coin collecting, along with baseball cards. He was a hunter and fisherman in his younger years. Russell also worked with leather (making belts, wallets, etc.) and enjoyed building his model train set. Russell was part of a bowling league and was a die-hard Nebraska Cornhuskers fan, as every Nebraskan should be.
Russell was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Rosalie; daughters, Rashele (Matt) Johnson of Stratford and Rona (Jayme) Crook of Boone; son, Ryan (Dawn) Rysavy of Scranton; grandchildren, Meagan Johnson, Taylor (Melanie) Johnson, Nicole (Justin) Wood, Logan Grazier, Lucas Rysavy, Garrett (Torey) Rysavy, Tyler (Melissa) Rysavy, Jacie-Aspen Flockhart, Zach, Jacob and Emily Crook; great grandchildren, Landon Richardson and Mylee and Hank Johnson; brother, Jack Rysavy of Grand Island, NE; and sisters, Karen Corr of CT and Karla Gennes of Grand Island, NE.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:30 A.M. on Friday, October 8, 2021 at the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets. Visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M. until time of service. Burial will be held at a later date.
Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be left to Russell’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com.
Russell Rysavy, 73, Boone, Iowa
