Russell Alan Church

Russell Alan Church, age 61, of Red River, New Mexico passed peacefully on July 28, 2021 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was comforted and surrounded by his immediate family. Russell was recently diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma of the brain that was compounded by Stage 5 renal failure from Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Russell Church was born in Prescott, Arizona on March 12, 1960 to Colleen Blaine Church and Charles Laynan Church. The family moved to Questa, New Mexico in 1965 when Russell’s father accepted a position at the Molycorp molybdenum mine. Russell attended the Questa schools and later Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he studied Business Administration. He later returned to the Red River area to work at the mine himself. Over the years, Russell worked in various aspects of Red River’s tourism industry. He held positions in restaurants, ski shops, as a lodge manager, and as a dispatcher with the marshal’s office. He eventually became the director of Red River’s Advanced Waste Water Treatment Plant where he served for many years before moving into town administration. Most recently, Russell served as Grants Administrator and Environmental Compliance Director for the Town of Red River. He was an essential employee of the Town of Red River for 31 years.

Devoted husband, father and grandfather, Russell enjoyed travel, photography, bow hunting, fishing, and spending time in the Valle Vidal Wildlife Management Unit in the Carson National Forest, where he oversaw water sampling at public campgrounds for the US Forest Service. He was also a founding member of the Red River Riding Club.

Russell was preceded in death by his parents, Colleen and Charles Church of Questa, New Mexico, grandparents Alma Roberta Blaine, Eulen Eugene Blaine, Cora Alice Church and Charlie Washington Church. He is survived by his wife Pamela Towry Church, her parents Bill and Marietta Towry, daughter Jessica Rael, son Stuart Church, their mother Dee Sims, brother Randal (Traci) Church, sister Charlene (Alex) Madrid, nephews Nicolas (Jenny) Church, Matt (Catherine) Madrid, and Andrew (Stormy) Madrid as well as niece Chelsea (Kristofer) Church Romero, granddaughters Angelica and Alexis Lucero and many friends that loved him.

A memorial celebration of Russell’s life will be held Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. in the Red River Community House. A potluck lunch will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org) or the American Kidney Fund (www.kidneyfund.org.)