Dec. 30, 1926 – June 15, 2021
Russell Clark Robertson passed away June 15, 2021, in St George, Utah. Russ was born Dec. 30, 1926, in Bingham Canyon, Utah. He was the first of four children born to Russell Robertson and Christie Clark Robertson.
Russ received his primary and secondary education in Utah, Nevada, Idaho and California. These were the years of the Great Depression, and as a result, his family moved wherever his father could find work. Russ graduated from Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington, California, in February of 1944. WWII was still raging, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army, until he received an honorable discharge in 1945. In September of that year, he began his university studies at UCLA and graduated in 1949 with many scholastic honors, including Phi Beta Kappa.
In March of 1950, he sailed to England on the Queen Mary and began a thirty-month mission to the British Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Shortly after returning to the U.S., he married Yvonne Marie Drake, and together they raised five children: Mark, Gaile, Meg, Claire and Amy. Russ was very proud of each of them and did his best to attend school, social, and sporting events. Having four daughters, he happily participated in many “Daddy Daughter Dates.”
During the Korean War, Russ was recalled to active duty in1953 and began a career as an LDS Army Chaplain that ultimately spanned thirty-three years. He rose through the ranks and retired in 1986 with the rank of Colonel. He loved his country and served on active duty with the U.S. Army during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam conflict.
Russ loved education and at various times studied at Oregon State University, UCLA, University of Utah, BYU, Washington University, and the University of Illinois. He received Masters Degrees from BYU and the University of Illinois, as well as a diploma from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he ranked in the top ten percent of his class.
In 1998 Russ married AnnaLou Smith Hutchings and acquired a second family of AnnaLou’s three sons and a daughter: Steve, Virginia, Curt and Mat.
Russ and AnnaLou loved to travel and visited the British Isles, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica. They enjoyed cruises through the Panama Canal, Alaska’s Inner Passage, and the Caribbean. One of their cherished highlights was serving a Church mission to Ireland, from 2001-2003, and living in Galway and Portstewart in North Ireland.
Although Russ enjoyed many hobbies such as tennis, swimming and dancing, his main love was hiking and backpacking. He was the longest serving hiking guide for the Green Valley Spa, from 1987-2013. He estimated that in a lifetime of hiking, he had accumulated over 56,000 miles, or the equivalent of two trips around the equator.
He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many different callings, including a ten-year term as a Scoutmaster, two full-time foreign missions, three Stake High Councils, and as Branch President of the Galway, Ireland Branch and the Sun River 1st Branch.
Russ is survived by his blended family of eight children: Mark Robertson (Theresa), Gaile Halladay (Kevin), Meg Shepherd, Claire Chance (Jeff), Amy Dayton (Kent), Virginia Hutchings, Curt Hutchings (Cheryl), Mat Hutchings (Stacey), his brother David Robertson, 33 grandchildren and 51 great-grandchildren.
Russ was preceded in death by his wife AnnaLou, brother Kent Robertson (Gloria), sister Kathlyn Tolbert (Max), granddaughter Hope Chance, son-in-law Mark Shepherd and stepson Steve Hutchings (Zahandra).
We express our deep and heartfelt gratitude to Amy Moak for the loving care and kindness she gave to Russ and AnnaLou these past four years.
A viewing will be held Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Spilsbury Mortuary (110 Bluff Street, St George, Utah 84790) from 6-7:30 p.m.
Funeral services will be held June 28, 2021, at 11 a.m. in the Sun River 2nd Branch chapel (4461 Country Club Drive, St. George, Utah 84790). A viewing will be held prior to the funeral at the church from 10-10:40 a.m.
Friends and family that are unable to attend the funeral service are invited to view it online by clicking on the link below. Zoom broadcasts are only available at the time of the service.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/97500744280?pwd=dVhZZmpSUExWeE9Gd1FyM0dLOHVRdz09
Passcode: 814330
Interment will be at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery, June 29, 2021 at 11 a.m.
Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff Street, St. George, Utah, 435-673-2454.