Russell E. Savage, Jr.

Please use the following information to join the Words of Remembrance at 6:30 PM Thursday, September 3.

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Russell Eugene Savage, Jr. died suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, Aug. 28. He was 72.

From the day Russ was born on Dec. 10, 1947, in Akron, Ohio, he paved a path of greatness -- in his professional life, in serving his country and in fatherhood. He was a well-rounded, self-made man who loved his family more than anything -- even his beloved Cleveland Browns.

So varied and voluminous was the life he lived that, even weeks before his death, Russ would share stories that Susan, his wife of 33 years, hadn't heard. Did you hear the one about how he used to block for future NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka in high school? Or how, after his service as a U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence 1st Sergeant in the Vietnam War, he drove across the country on a motorcycle -- and survived a bad wreck?

Russ didn't share much about his experience in the war -- except that he fought in the battles in Hue and Khe Sanh -- but he was a proud Marine until the end, often wearing his old USMC sweatpants when lounging around the house watching his favorite Cleveland sports teams or off-the-beaten path movie. More recently he was a proud supporter of the Marines' Memorial Club in San Francisco, his favorite city in the world.

And boy, did Russ see the world. San Francisco was his crown jewel, a city he'd visited more than anyone could remember. Once, when in town for a conference, he sat at a bar when a fellow visitor came in and asked the bartender for directions. Instead Russ gave them, and he beamed when the man thought he was a local.

Yet it was only the tip of the iceberg of what he would explore. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, he never got to see Ireland, a trip that he planned to take in March with Susan for her 60th birthday.

Exploration was a key theme of his life. After graduating from Stow High School in 1965, Russ attended Miami University in Oxford for a year before joining the Marines. Then, he finished his bachelor's degree at Miami before attending The Ohio State University, earning his doctorate degree in toxicology and making lifelong friends along the way who still made sure to meet up as often as possible.

"Doctor Savage" was a brilliant scientist, who worked principally for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and started his own side business as a medical writer. Russ was a longtime bachelor who was never sure if he'd settle down, but all that changed when he met his future wife, Susan Wingertsahn, a chemist working in the same lab as him at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. The first time he saw her, he said, "I'm going to marry that woman."

Susan was every bit his equal and the perfect counterweight to his occasionally neurotic personality - something he cited when the kids were young and he noted that she was the "fun parent." Russ remedied this when they reached adulthood and they were old enough to have a few beers with him and hear his long, interesting stories.

Russ gave back to academics toward the end of his career, becoming a professor at Georgia Southern University, Ohio University and, finally, coming back to where it all began at Ohio State. A devourer of literature, Russ even became a published author when he wrote a book based in part on his life.

You can't talk about Russ without mentioning sports. (He lived for so long that he even attended one of the Cleveland Browns' championship games.) While living in Cincinnati, where he spent much of his adult life, he'd drive up to attend a Cleveland Cavaliers or Browns game by himself, just to watch the action (and misery) in person. Without fail, he'd stop and eat at Swenson's -- his favorite guilty pleasure. On the rare occasion when Cleveland sports teams were good, it was almost too much to bear: In the final seconds of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Russ paced upstairs, with no TV on, missing LeBron James's famous chase-down block and the team's victory.

Russ was beloved. He will be missed and his absence leaves a profound hole in the hearts of those who loved him, but his legacy of warmth, humor and morality will live on.

He is survived by Susan Wingertsahn-Savage, his best friend and perfect match; his daughter, Megan Savage Knox, the only other woman he loved unconditionally and to whom "how you doin', darlin'?" will always ring in her ears; and his son, Jake "Jakester" Savage, who matched Russ's interest in dive bars (especially Arnold's) and who carries Russ's legacy of charm, intellect and adventure.

Russ was preceded in death by his father, Russell Savage Sr., mother, Dorothy Savage, and father-in-law Richard Wingertsahn.

Additional survivors include his sister, Janet McCrink; son-in-law, Tom Knox; mother-in-law, Patricia Wingertsahn; brother-in-law, Richard Wingertsahn (Carol); brother-in-law, Jerry Wingertsahn; niece Paula Wingertsahn; and nephews R.J. (Elyssa) and Ted (Jessica) Wingertsahn.

The family will celebrate the life of Russ Thursday, September 3, 2020 with a Visitation from 4:00 p.m. until the Words of Remembrance Service at 6:30 p.m. at Mueller Funeral Home, 6791 Tylersville Road in Mason, Ohio. Military Honors will be at 7:00 p.m.

Face masks/coverings are REQUIRED and Social Distancing will be observed.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project.