I remember living in the Eichler house on Stendhal Lane in Cupertino, commonly referred to by many friends as Animal House 2. I was a gainfully employed single man living with two other guys of similar stature. We were paying $675 per month to rent a 4 bedroom 2 bath home in a quiet neighborhood that was soon to get noisy. We were all recent college graduates working in Sales positions for Xerox and IBM. With our $225 monthly rent payments, each of us a lot of disposable income which was typically disposed of on all the wrong things.
One day, a fine looking couple moved in to the way nicer Eichler across the street. They looked cool, and young enough, that they might not even call the cops on us when we hosted one of our epic parties. We were right!
It took awhile before we got to know them very well. After some time, they became good friends and we had many memorable times together. While we were boasting about our jobs with Xerox and IBM, we learned that Lynn worked for Apple and Russ was employed by Grid Systems. While we were flogging copiers and printers, Russ and Lynn had the coolest computers money could buy. We were jealous.
Speaking of toys, Russ was always one to have the latest and greatest. Ever the aficionado of high quality audio gear, Russ would continue to revise and update his stereo system on an almost-monthly basis. “Hey Mike, I’ve been doing some research” was the typical preamble to a new acquisition that would make me drool. There was always that smile - very unique to Russ - which was an indication that something really cool was about to be acquired. It was a smile that only Russ could deliver. A smile worthy of a special name – the Russmile. Post acquisition, Lynn would say something like; “Ok Russ, what have you just purchased and why do you need that?” Russ was always doing research and always leveraging information to make the best decision possible. This was a trait that would serve him valiantly later in life as his research would focus on cancer treatment.
One day, Russ pulls into the driveway in a new Audi Quattro. Again, the Russmile. It was that boyish I-might-get-in-trouble-for-this-new-acquisition-look. Always on the leading edge, Russ was an early adopter of all new technologies. This was evident throughout the Knerr household. Their home was filled with every modern convenience. In the mean time, our bachelor pad was looking pretty sad. I can’t remember how many gadgets we borrowed from Russ and Lynn to fill gaping holes, in our empty arsenal of must-have household items, whenever we were pretending to entertain friends. All of us at the bachelor pad were longing for a time when we might own a house as nice as theirs. Hey, that married life looks good to me!
I remember when I helped Russ build a deck in his back yard. The plans called for supports every 6 feet however, Russ wanted the deck to be extra sturdy so we doubled the number of supports to every 3 feet. A lot more digging, a lot more work. “Hey Russ, are you planning to host a party for 100 NFL lineman?” I asked. “No Mike, I want this deck to stand the test of time.” Russ replied. In the end, the deck was bulletproof. After finishing this project, I remember standing on the deck, with Russ, drinking a beer and jumping up and down trying to make the deck squeak. No dice. It was as solid as concrete. I looked up at Russ and he delivered the patented Russmile.
There was the time when Russ went retro and drives up to the house in a vintage Ford Mustang – way cool! A few days later, he rumbles in with headers installed and Russmiling from ear to ear. It was so loud! My roommates and I loved it. But, Lynn didn’t. 2 days later, Russ drives by in relative silence. The headers were gone. I guess there are certain purchases that just can’t be justified.
Soon enough, Russ and I began cycling together. Of course, he bought a very sweet bike supported with lots of research. We decided we would ride in the Sequoia Century together. This is one of the toughest 100 mile rides in the Bay Area. In order to minimize the potential agony, we start preparing for this ride by training on a regular basis. I really enjoyed all of the time I spent riding with Russ. We rode 100’s of miles together, over several months, training for the ride. There is a special camaraderie that develops between cyclists that is hard to describe - I had that with Russ. The Century was tough. We were in shape, but we didn’t eat enough. That was our first experience with bonking. Needless to say, my addiction to cycling was established with Russ, back in the early 80’s, and continues today, almost 30 years later. I recently signed up for the Sequoia Century, my second attempt, this year and will ride in honor of Russ on June 5th.
Upon arriving back at Stendhal Lane after the Century, my roommates were serving Margaritas to neighbors and hosting a garage sale of sorts. The goal was to get neighbors to buy/take all of our junk. Russ and I had a Margarita, which hit us pretty hard after 100 miles in the June heat, and laughed uncontrollably as my roommates piled a flea-ridden sofa on top of a neighbor’s car. Then, we watched him drive down the street while everyone was celebrating the purging of our last item.
Our regular cycling time together continued until I moved to Menlo Park and got married. Soon thereafter, the Knerr’s moved to San Diego and we didn’t have the opportunity to spend as much time together. I really missed those rides with Russ.
I was shocked to learn when Russ was diagnosed with Melanoma. I remember discussing this news with him so very long ago and over a period of many years. I remember his positive attitude that never wavered. I remember all of Russ’ research on treatments; dietary, holistic, medicinal, experimental etc. He covered all the bases in typical Russ thoroughness. As time went on, the battle escalated. Russ continued to respond and persevere. And, in the heat of battle, there were still plenty of Russmiles to share with family and friends.
His loving wife, Lynn, and daughter, Katy, provided selfless support for so long. His good friends and support network stood by him throughout his ordeal. The care and love he received gave him so much motivation to live, to fight cancer, to love back, to watch his daughter grow into a young woman, to become a grandparent, to set an example, to be a hero to his family and friends.
Today, the word hero is used loosely. It is too often attached to athletes and other over-publicized media “phenoms of the week.” Very infrequently, are real heroes ever known or recognized. They fight a quiet battle with dignity and grace. They endure against all odds. They become a benchmark for survivorship against a terrible disease. They are Russ.
I can’t imagine anyone who exemplifies the characteristics of a hero more than Russ. I can’t imagine anyone who I’ve been more proud to know. I can’t imagine anyone I would rather have as a friend. I can’t think of anything better than a Russmile.
---Mike Mahan