Earl grew up in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and he moved to Michigan when he was only 17. His passion was for farming, and being an out-of -the box thinker and a hard worker, he was soon able to purchase his own farm for a good price, as the soil was said to be too sandy. Earl enlisted the agricultural experts at Michigan State University to analyze the soil, and he added what was needed to grow fine crops. In addition to corn, tomatoes, turnips and wheat, he maintained a beautiful grape vineyard and sold to Welch's and St. Julian Wines. He also kept pigs, chicken, and dairy cows. He built his first tractor from scratch. An avid reader, Earl always had ideas, and he called himself a contrarian. For example, he noticed that when prices were high on a given crop or type of livestock, farmers would switch to it; he would grow something entirely different, benefiting from higher prices on a limited supply. An avid reader, he taught himself about stock and commodity markets. He subscribed to National Geographic, and he loved to read text books. With his older children, he was somewhat of a taskmaster - especially with his oldest three sons. He and his wife, Olive, had eight children together over a twenty year span, then they divorced in 1957. When the younger children spent time with him, he had more time to enjoy them, or perhaps he had mellowed over the years. He would go for walks with them and sing - he loved looking at the night sky. They would occasionally go out for ice cream, and he loved to celebrate the New Year with them with ginger ale and a maraschino cherry! His favorite TV shows were the westerns - Gun Smoke and Have Gun Will Travel. He never forgot birthdays. His children, in order of birth, are the following:
Russell Earl Mohney, Jr. 1933 - 2020
Charles Blair Mohney - 1934 -living
Lauren Dean Mohney - 1935 - 2014
Beverly Carol Mohney (Wilson) 1940 -living
Patricia Sue Mohney (Temple) 1941 - living
Linda Kaye Mohney (Rhodus) 1946 -living
Kathleen Gail Mohney (Dunn) 1952 - living
Marvin Ray Mohney 1953 - living
He is also survived by numerous grandchildren.