A memorial to celebrate the life of Russ will be held on Saturday June 15 at the VFW in Billings 637 Anchor Street at 2 pm. We will have a potluck afterwards so please bring your favorite dish.
A celebration of life service will be held from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on
Sunday, April 7, 2019, at the Coeur d’Alene Shriners Hall, 1250 W.
Lancaster Road, Hayden, Idaho. Bring a pot luck dish to share after the
service. Russ’ art and music will be on display and available for sale
after the service in support of his wife, Donna, and the changes in her
life.
"Let the Memory of Russell be with us forever"
Russell K. DeVerniero, age 69, passed away on January 23, 2019 in
Mount Vernon, WA after a short and brave battle with Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma, a consequence of his service related exposure to Agent
Orange. Russ was born in Billings, MT on April 3rd, 1949 to Emmanuel
(Dee) and Lois DeVerniero. He grew up in Billings surrounded by his
cousins Deedie, Linda, Jim and Paul. He was, as he said, the official
sauce taster for his Uncle Jim’s restaurant (Jimmy’s Pizzeria) which was
right across the street from Senior High. When he was 12 years old he
was adopted into the Woodenlegs family of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.
This was a great honor and a lifelong influence in his artwork, music
and spiritual life.
Russ graduated from Billings Senior High in
1967 and proudly served in the United States Marine Corps. He was part
of one the finest fighting groups in Vietnam the 3rd Marine Division,
2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, G (Golf) Company- Hell in a Helmet.
Upon his return from Vietnam he married his first wife Cynthia Klimper
(Hein) they would have 3 children Cathy, Tina and John. After his marriage, he was sent to Panama to "Guard the canal" from March of 1969 to November of 1970. After Panama, he and his family moved to San Diego where he served as a Marine Drill Instructor until June of 1971.
After his discharge
from active duty in 1971, he was a reservist until 1986. He moved back
to Montana and became a Deputy Sheriff for Yellowstone County. There he
would start up the first K9 unit for the county which he was passionate about.
The
horrors of the war never really left him and in 1979 he felt the need
to leave the Sheriff’s office and pursue a gentler calling - his true
passion of art. He obtained his degree in Fine Arts from Eastern Montana
College (MSU-B) with the help of the GI Bill and became a full-time
artist. As an artist he was commissioned to do a Montana Vietnam
Veterans Memorial to be displayed at the VA center in Billings. His
inspiration for the piece came from the loss of his best friend Mike
Padilla at the Battle of Bridge 28 in 1968. He tried a variety of
different mediums and was very good at all of them. His precision and
detail in his work was phenomenal. He had a driving creative spirit that
would not quit, and could not be contained in one medium or style. He
was continually in motion, developing and refining his skills and
following the inspirations of his soul. His art was displayed at the
Montana State Fair in Billings and at galleries in Kirkland, WA and
Coeur d’Alene, ID. He has a permanent display at the Coeur d’Alene
Public Library.
In 1986 he moved to Seattle to work for the
Pacific Science Center and then did various jobs in the Seattle area,
working at Aldus Corporation developing software interfaces for Artists
in the PageMaker program. From there he moved on to Microsoft where he
tested and assisted in the development a software application called
Picture-it, that integrated pictures and the ability to draw on them on
the PC platform. In Seattle Russ would meet the woman who would become
instrumental in his life, Donna. They married on January 22, 1994 living
in the Seattle area until 2002 when they moved to Coeur d’Alene, ID.
After settling in Coeur d’Alene Russ started to explore more mediums
with his art. Here he created some amazing wood carvings, other mixed
media artwork and original music compositions. He made many lifelong
friends in Coeur d’ Alene and he and Donna enjoyed a rich social life.
Russ
was able to spend the last few years of his life traveling with Donna
in their RV exploring the United States and really enjoying the Yuma
area during the winter. In the spring of 2018 he and Donna travelled to
the Washington DC area for a Marine Corp Reunion honoring the
50th Anniversary of the Battle of Bridge 28, where many of his brothers
in arms lost their lives. The remaining survivors gathered for
activities, events and camaraderie. They toured the USMC Museum, the
Vietnam Memorial Wall and many other sites of the area.
With
Donna by his side Russ had become the best version of himself and it
showed. When he developed his illness, her strength helped him to keep
moving forward with a contagious positive spirit. Donna was his rock and
she stayed by his side until his last moments.
He always loved
spending time with his children and grandchildren when they could get
together. He loved to cook and made the most amazing breakfast you would
ever have. He was a very loving and giving man who would do anything
for his friends and family.
Russ is survived by his beloved wife
Donna, daughters Cathy (John) Swan, Tina (Tim) Meyer and son John
(Belinda) DeVerniero. 9 grandchildren Samantha (Tim) Downey, Amanda
DeVerniero, Jacob (Tiara) Swan, Natasha Andreozzi, Victoria DeVerniero,
Nic Meyer, Jenna Meyer, Lucca DeVerniero and Serafina DeVerniero and 3
great grandchildren Theodore, Cullen and Genesis. He was preceded in death by his parents Emmanuel and Lois DeVerniero and grandson Rocco DeVerniero.
