Raymond John Russ (Ray) 71, of Canton, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, at Mercy Hospital Hospice unit. Ray was born on May 8th, 1952 in Canton, son of the late John Albert Russ Jr. and Mary Shaheem Russ. He was welcomed home by his big brother John Albert Russ III. Ray graduated from McKinley High School in 1970. He then went on to the United States Airforce Academy and graduated in 1974. He also had a Masters degree in criminal justice. Ray proudly served his country for 22 years in the Airforce. He was a navigator and then proudly served as an instructor in navigation. The last few years of service were spent in the reserves. After he retired from military life, he worked and then retired from the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office. He retired in 1999. Ray had one brother, John Albert Russ III (Lucy), of Toledo. He had one nephew, John Albert Russ IV (Tom), of Washington D.C, nieces Jody Russ, of Toledo, and Hannah Masiniak, of Columbus. In 2000 Ray and his wife Joanmarie Russ moved from Sacramento to Canton to help care for his mother. Ray's two loves besides his family were traveling and sports. He loved the Cleveland Browns football team, the Cleveland Indians baseball team, and Nascar. He really enjoyed when the entire Russ family would attend a baseball game together. When he would make travel plans he always made sure his wife and mother were right by his side. Ray had two wishes for when he passed on. The first was if you would like to make a donation in memory, it would be to Best Friends Animal Society, of Utah. Information can be found at Bestfriends.org. He was a true animal lover, owning three dogs and five cats. The second wish was to not have a funeral but a celebration of life. On May 11th, the family will be celebrating his birthday and his life. For further information contact Joanmarie at 330-949-5547.

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