Phyllis June (Moore) Russell

Phyllis June Moore was born in March 1944, in Holdenville, Oklahoma, to Gerald and Velma Moore. Her childhood was spent in Allen, Oklahoma with her parents and older brother Ron until the family relocated to Jenks, OK not long before Phyllis entered high school. She was very active in high school. She was a member of the student council, a cheerleader, played varsity basketball, and became the homecoming queen.

Since their childhood, Phyllis' brother Ron had stayed in touch with his best friend, Chuck Russell (Charles A. Russell III), and Phyllis and Chuck began dating after she graduated high school. A few days before her 20th birthday in 1964, she married the love of her life.

Chuck joined the U.S. Air Force, and they moved to various bases, including Topeka, Kansas, and Amarillo, Texas. In 1966, while they were living in Amarillo their first son, Charles Wayne Russell, was born. In late 1968, he was joined by their second son, Paul Ray Russell, after moving back near her parents in Jenks.

The family moved to Edmond, Oklahoma in 1972, where Phyllis lived most of her life. As well as being a mother to her two boys, Phyllis worked as an executive assistant and spent several years working in the office of the Dean of Campus Life, Dr. Bailey McBride. She later worked in the Financial Aid office at Oklahoma Christian University, then with King & King, Attorneys at Law, then Whittier College in Whittier California, and Dollar Thrifty Rental Cars in Tulsa.

After Wayne and Paul graduated from college, Phyllis and Chuck relocated to the Los Angeles area, where they lived for several years after Chuck took a new position with an air conditioning firm in the area.

After enduring floods, earthquakes, riots, droughts, and other challenges in L.A., they decided it was time to move back to Oklahoma. Chuck found a position with another company in Pryor, OK, and they relocated to Chouteau, OK, where they built a home and expected to retire.

In 1994, they instantly became grandparents when Paul married Janet, who had a five-year old daughter, Erica. A few years later, sons Wyatt and Jack were born. When Wayne married Jodi (Valentine) in 1999, her daughter Lauren joined the family, soon to be followed by Mason, Cole, and Dillon.

After the sudden loss of Wayne’s first wife, Jodi, Phyllis and Chuck moved back to Edmond in 2009 to be near their grandchildren.

While living in Edmond, Phyllis remained devoted to her mother, Velma Moore, who lived in assisted living first in Jenks, Oklahoma, and later in Ada. Until her mother’s passing, Phyllis visited her weekly, buying groceries, taking her to medical appointments, and seeing to her care.

When Wayne married his second wife Becky Maple in 2008, Phyllis gained two more granddaughters; Becky's daughters Tori and Alli. Phyllis and Chuck never made a distinction between biological and step-grandchildren but were instead devoted to all of them. They often spent several hours on Saturdays attending soccer games and other activities the children were involved in. They would regularly visit Paul’s family in Texas, and the grandchildren all have fond memories of time spent with them.

Phyllis enjoyed sewing and made personalized items for her grandkids using her sewing machine. She and Chuck also enjoyed gardening and spent many hours tending to flowers and vegetables in their gardens in their later years. They were very active in the Memorial Road Church of Christ and had many friends who played an important role in their lives.

Phyllis passed away on October 14, 2026, in Edmond, Oklahoma at the age of 82.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, Gerald and Velma Moore; her brother, Ron Moore; her husband, Charles Russell; and her daughter-in-law, Jodi (Valentine) Russell.

Phyllis is survived by her son Wayne Russell and his wife, Becky, and their children, Mason, Tori, Cole, Alli, Dillon, Lauren Smith, and her husband Torin Smith. Lauren's three sons are Phyllis' great-grandsons, Matthew, Declan, and Callum. She is also survived by her son, Paul, and his family, her niece, Karlyn, Karlyn’s husband Hayes, and their son, Scott.

A memorial service will be held at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond, on Monday, November 23, 2026, at 10:00am, with Jeff McMillon and Doug Hooten officiating. Arrangements are by Matthews Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Dementia Society of America, or the Alzheimer's Association .