From bike riding days in Balhinch to successful businessman in Newtown, Indiana, Russell Lee "Butch" Fruits of rural New Richmond has passed on to Beulah Land, four days before his 86th birthday on September 26, 2018. He was born at Waynetown to Lewis D. & Rachel (Myers) Fruits and raised near Alamo on the Roundtree Farm. His maternal great-grandfather was Noah Ransom Myers of Jackson Township, Fountain County; his paternal great-grandfather was Noah Fruits of Ripley Township, Montgomery County, of the prolific George Fruits line.

After playing ball for Alamo High School and graduating in 1950, Russell served in the U.S. Navy as a radarman on a destroyer in the Pacific from 1951-1955 during the Korean War. While he was attending radar school on Treasure Island Naval Base in San Francisco Bay, he and his high school sweetheart, Shirley D. Walp (AHS 1951), were married in nearby San Leandro, California, on February 15, 1952. With help from the G.I. bill and part-time labor he attended Indiana University from fall 1956 to graduation in May 1959. He minored in accounting and earned a BS in management.

Following graduation Russell took a job with Agrico Fertilizer in Danville, Illinois and subsequently was transferred to plants in Nashville, Tennessee and Saginaw, Michigan, before supervising their Carteret, New Jersey operation. Determined to start his own business, he moved the family back to Indiana in 1968 and purchased a closed feed mill in Fountain County. The mill became Newtown Farm Service, which just celebrated fifty years of survival this past August.  This family owned and operated facility has endured while other small elevators around the area have closed.

In 1969, Russell and family acquired the Linden (IN) Laundromat for supplemental income for a growing family. After full days of labor at the struggling Newtown business, Russell spent many evenings and 4 a.m. trips to Linden repairing machines etc. In 1977, Linden Pizza Corner replaced the laundromat as a family enterprise. For 22 years, he made several emergency trips from west to east to replace pizza oven thermocouples and tend other maintenance needs. The business continues today under different ownership.

Russell was a member of Alamo Christian Church, baptized at age thirteen in a creek near the Fountain County line.  He has attended New Richmond Christian Church since moving to this area.  He participated in the former Newtown Investment Club for many years. He was a past master and 65 year member of Alamo Masonic Lodge, a member of Newtown American Legion, Crawfordsville VFW, and Attica Eagles.  Russell was a founding member of Montgomery County Shrine Club. He was also a member of Murat Shrine, and Indianapolis Valley Scottish Rite. He was a life member of the Indiana University Alumni Association.

A former protégé of Alamo High School coach Tom Bowerman, "Butch" perfected a long hook shot on the basketball court helping win many games. He played shortstop and pitched for baseball games. An early skeptic of the golf game, he later took up the sport. He enjoyed lots of times on the course in semi-retirement years and was proud to achieve a hole-in-one in 2008.

Russell liked to hunt and eat mushrooms and to fish, especially at the family cabin he built with his brothers. As a young man he worked with legend Burl Fruits and became quite a lumberman, dedicated to preserving trees before and after they fell. He hauled large chunks of trees to the Sun-N-Fun RV Resort winter retreat at Sarasota, FL, for use by the fellows in the woodshop.  At the wheel of the RV, Russell and the family have traveled 48 states, Canada, and Mexico. He particularly enjoyed visiting relatives in the Montana area and following the Lewis and Clark trail to the Pacific Ocean.

Russell was a quietly strong fellow. He was patient but persevering, slow to anger, as fair "as they come," and level-headed in times of trouble. He leaves behind his wife, Shirley, of 66 years; son Jeffrey (Lee Ann) of Newtown; daughters Teresa (Jim) Wasson of Redkey, Christine (Mark) Hoagland of Newtown, Sandra Jones of Sheridan, and Colleen (Jim) Wininger of New Richmond; sisters Verda (Gene) Mills of Crawfordsville, Dema Delp of Marshall, Dianna (Ron) Waye of Waynetown; brothers Jim (Reni) Fruits and Dennis (Judy) Fruits both of Lake Holiday; 18 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren (plus one due in October).  Preceding Russell in death were his parents, son-in-law Mark Jones, and brother-in-law Jay Delp.

Visitation hours are 3:00 – 7:00 PM, following with Masonic Memorial Service, Sunday, September 30, 2018 at Family and Friends Funeral Home of Wingate.  Funeral services are 11:00 AM Monday, October 1, 2018 at the funeral home with Pastors John Kenneson and Dorman Winger officiating.  Interment will follow in Waynetown Masonic Cemetery, with military honors by Veedersburg American Legion Post #288.  The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorials in Russell's memory can be directed to: Alamo Christian Church or New Richmond Christian Church or Alamo F&AM Lodge # 144 or Shriner's Children's Hospitals.  To share a memory or leave a condolence visit us at www.familyandfriendsfh.com