Michael Allan Russell

Bloomington - Michael Allan Russell, 71 of Bloomington passed away at 7:38 AM Saturday August 8, 2020 at his residence.
There will be a visitation to celebrate his life on Friday August 14, 2020 from 2-3 PM at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home in Bloomington. A private Inurnment will be at Park Hill Cemetery in Bloomington.
Michael was born February 24, 1949 in Bloomington to Allan D and Eloise Keener Russell. He married Mary Beth Coe on July 28, 1973 in Rockford. She survives. He is also survived by three children Matthew (Lisa) of Schaumburg, Chad of Salt Lake City, UT, and Emily of Chicago; two grandchildren Ewan and Keira Eloise Russell; and one sister Janet (James) Alexander of Franklin, TN. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother Craig Russell.
Michael graduated from Bloomington High School (BHS) in 1967. He attended Illinois State University (ISU) and earned a bachelor's degree in industrial technology with a minor in physical education. Later, he earned his master's degree in education administration, also from ISU.
In his early career, Michael worked as an industrial technology teacher in schools throughout Illinois, including Mascoutah, Wood River, Bloomington, and Northbrook. He served as assistant principal at Riverdale Elementary School in the Quad Cities. After his many years as an educator, Michael joined the industrial sector and worked for Eureka Company in Bloomington, IL as manager of engineering records.
Michael also worked as a consultant at Mitsubishi Motor Company in Normal, IL and Caterpillar, Inc. in Peoria, IL. He eventually accepted a full-time position with Caterpillar, Inc. in Peoria and Mossville, IL. He spent the last 20 years with Caterpillar, Inc. in various positions at both the Mossville and Pontiac, IL plants. He last served as an analyst and purchasing buyer in Pontiac.
Sadly, Michael was diagnosed with esophageal cancer three days prior to his planned retirement on March 27, 2019. He underwent radiation treatments for several months and chemotherapy for over a year, only to discover that the cancer had metastasized by the end of summer 2019. Due to the nature of his cancer, eating became an extremely painful and nearly impossible task which eventually required surgery to insert a feeding tube into his small intestine. Feeding supplements through the J-tube sustained him for just over a year but caused extreme weight loss and greatly depleted his energy. He succumbed to cancer on August 8, 2020 surrounded by his immediate family.
Despite his arduous journey through cancer, Michael lived a rich life. Michael was always upbeat and lived by the motto, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." He had a wonderful sense of humor and a stellar work ethic. He was methodical, logical, a lover of spreadsheets, and extremely generous, always looking for ways to help others. In his last few years at Caterpillar, Inc., he took on the role of "weatherman" for his group meetings with Ryan Rafferty and colleagues, eager to share the latest forecast.
Michael loved his three children dearly and they meant the world to him. He hoped that his many valuable lessons, like "life is all about choices," will serve as guiding principles for his children to embrace and pass on to their own children, both present and future. He was affectionately known as Pop-Pop to his grandchildren Ewan and Keira. Although Pop-Pop only knew Keira for a short while, he loved her so much and thought she was a beautiful baby girl. We are confident Keira will learn about Pop-Pop through pictures and stories shared by her big brother, who he also loved with his whole heart.
He instilled a love for the water with his own children, and with swimming students as a swim coach. Some of his many interests included woodworking, tinkering in the garage, completing household projects as the family's "Mr. Fix-it," collecting the newest power tools, reading, going for walks, and riding his bike.
We hope you will remember him as the vibrant, fun-loving person and devoted family man he always was. We are indebted to his OSF hospice team who provided wonderful care and comfort in his last weeks, as well as to all our family and friends who shared their love and support. We will miss him immensely but can find solace knowing he is now at peace.
Memorial contributions may be made to his family or to the Bloomington Normal Officials Association.