John A. Russell was born Monday, September 13, 1943 in Johannesburg, South Africa .
he died Friday, August 14, 2009. his recorded age was 65.
RUSSELL John Alister Russell, age 65, died unexpectedly on August 12, 2009 following a brief illness. John was born September 13, 1943 in Johannesburg, South Africa to Jack and Elizabeth Russell. John was preceded in death by his wife Susan. He is survived by two sisters, Sheila Allen of Henderson, Nev. and Jeanne Warner of Alexandria, Va.; brother-in-law, John Warner; and nieces and nephews. John earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from OSU in 1966 and a Masters Degree from OSU in 1971 while working full time at City National Bank. John became director of marketing in 1977 and was responsible for rebranding the bank as Bank One. In 1986 John was named director of corporate communications. In the mid 1970's John was also responsible for the first test of online banking, the roll out of ATM's, and merchant processing. He served on a national committee for the Public Relations Society of America and was President of the Bank Marketing Association. He served on the Dean's Advisory Council at The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University as well as the advisory board of Paul Werth Associates, a Columbus public relations and advertising firm. He consulted on communications issues for The Huntington Bank following his retirement in 2002. John was deeply involved with Habitat for Humanity, where his efforts and contributions were key to the dedication of the first Signature Home in honor of his wife, Susan. John was a noted speaker on futurology at conferences in the United States and abroad for Fortune 500 companies. He was President of The Morton Foundation, which sponsors Morty's Kids, a program to introduce golf to youngsters in central Ohio. He was on the board of The Lakes Golf and Country Club and served as chairman of its golf committee. John will be sadly missed by friends and family. In lieu of flowers. please send contributions to Habitat for Humanity, 3140 Westerville Road, Columbus, Oh. 43224 or Morty's Kids, c/o The Morton Foundation, 253 East Livingston Avenue, Columbus, Oh. 43215 or www.mortonfoundation.com. A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 11 a.m. at the Worthington Presbyterian Church, 773 High Street, Worthington, Oh. with a reception following at The Lakes Golf and Country Club, 6740 Worthington Road, Westerville, Oh. Arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON CHAPEL (614) 848-6699.