George Russell Cole

George Russell Cole died unexpectedly July 28, 2022 at the age of 54.  He is survived by his father, Phillip E. Cole, his sister and brother-in-law Dawn M. Urbani and Lee Urbani, his niece D. Nicole Lewis, and great niece Zoe G. Lewis, and his aunts Mary Martha Cole and Sandra Hunt, as well as several cousins.  He was predeceased by his mother, M. Georgia Cole.

Russ was a graduate of University of Mo, Columbia, with degrees in History and Art.  He was an intelligent and creative person, crafting works of art and writing books and short stories.  Russ had a wry wit and a gift for making friends and family laugh. He loved his backyard garden, especially the sunflowers and tomatoes.  He was a life long fan of the Cardinals baseball team.
He is gone too soon and will be missed by those who loved him. The family will hold a private memorial.  Anyone wishing to honor his memory may donate to the Tower Grove Park Foundation.

8 Comments

  1. Emily Abrams on August 3, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    I am so sorry to hear this. I worked with Russell years ago. May he Rest In Peace.



  2. Shirley Burton on August 4, 2022 at 2:22 pm

    My love and prayers to the family. May GOD give you comfort.



  3. Carlos aka (Los) on August 5, 2022 at 2:35 am

    A dear friend, dammit Cole I will miss you!



  4. Philip Slein on August 5, 2022 at 9:34 am

    Russ was a brilliant and talented man, and he will be missed my many in the art community. Rest In Peace .



  5. Marco on August 7, 2022 at 10:45 am

    I called Russ “the Baron” as we became friends at Mizzou because of his rich vocabulary, booming voice and gentlemanly demeanor. His sense of humor and intelligence made him a joy to be around. He will be missed.



  6. THOMAS L DRANEY on August 21, 2022 at 2:35 pm

    Russell was intelligent, sharp and had a great sense of humor. Russ had stupendous political and social consciousness. He was very passionate and articulate and he would present his POV much better than I ever could for myself. His wit and satire either left me chuckling or speechless in amazement. I’m grateful for the times we shared at Mizzou and back in STL. He was one of a kind and he left us too soon. Farewell brother, rest in peace.



  7. Shelly Guariglia (Champion) on September 17, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    I’m sad your life ended so soon. I will always remember you and how you made me laugh.



  8. Dulio on April 24, 2023 at 9:31 am

    I first met Russell when we worked at MidTech, circa 2002, and we became and remained friends since then. I last met him the week he passed.

    I will miss his wit, sense of social responsibility and his stance in defense of common working person’s rights. I miss his deep, sonorous voice the most. (I found a close sound alike in the late astrophysicist Karl Sagan’s youTube recordings).

    My sincere sympathies to his father, with whom he shared his joy of fishing, and his sister and other family members.



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