Richard Thomas Russ, 82, of Reston, Virginia, was born on August 28, 1932 in Duluth, Minnesota to the late Matthias James Russ and Agnes Margaret Jerina Russ, and passed away in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Thursday, December 11, 2014 from cancer. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his infant son, John Peter Russ. He attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth, from which he received a degree in Accounting. He also earned his MBA from the University of Oklahoma and was a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute. Richard was a lifelong patriot and career civil servant. He served his country in the United States Army, first in the infantry, and then in the Army Audit Agency. Later, as a civilian, he returned to the Army Audit Agency, which eventually became the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General of the United States. He had tours in France and Germany while traveling extensively, including assignments in Greece and Turkey. He eventually retired in 1987 after a long and distinguished career of 33 years as Assistant Director of the Research, Test and Development Group and Senior Executive (SES-4). It was while he was working in France that Richard met his bride to be, his beloved wife of 55 years, Janine Javanni Russ. While courting, they enjoyed dinners at Michelin Guide "one star" restaurants in Paris and visited many sights, most notably "Royan" beach in the Bordeaux region of Southwest France, a place that later inspired the first name of their daughter. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Mark James Russ and his wife, Sarah Brown Russ, of Houston, Texas, and RoyAnn Russ Murray and her husband, Dr. William H. Murray, of Charlottesville, Virginia. Richard is also survived by his six grandchildren whom he called his "dividends," John Matthias Russ, Charles Jordan Russ, Josephine Margaret Russ, William Russ Murray, Catherine Annapolis Murray, and John Peter Murray. He is also survived by his brother, James Matthias Russ; and by many brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews whose company he treasured. Mr. Russ will be remembered at Holy Comforter Catholic Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, December 27, 2014, at 5 p.m., with Father Joseph Mary Lukyamuzi officiating. Mr. Russ will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, consider contributing to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) or Junior Achievement USA (www.ja.org), or taking a moment to teach a young person about the benefits of investing and dollar cost averaging, a favorite topic of discussion for Mr. Russ with his grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.hillandwood.com.