Russell D. Grotjohn

Russell D. Grotjohn was born on June 25, 1935 in Morris, Minnesota, to Henry and Ruth Grotjohn. He was the oldest of four boys.

Russ attended Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, and graduated in 1953. He then went on to serve in the United States Army in 1953 until he was honorably discharged in 1956, after serving in the Korean War. While living in Portland he was the service manager at Marv Tonkin Ford.

He married Kay McKay in 1958 in The Dalles, Oregon. In May 1970, Russ and Kay moved their family to Priest River, Idaho. While living in Priest River, he worked at East River Lumber Company (JD Lumber Company) while simultaneously owning and operating a cattle ranch. In 1997 Russ retired from both jobs and later moved to Spokane, Washington.

He was a happy guy with a great sense of humor who did things his way. He loved his friends and family very much. Russ passed away peacefully the morning of October 25, 2019, in Spokane.

Russ was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Kay.

He is survived by his two daughters, Karla Geiger and Colleen Grotjohn (Shell Brooks); granddaughter, Jacqueline (Stephen) MacDonald; and great-grandson Lucas MacDonald; and also by his brothers, David (Norma), Chuck (Charlene), and John (Sylvia); sister-in-law Nancy (McKay) Fath; and brother-in-law John (Glyneth) McKay.

Russ will be interned at the Veterans Memorial in Medical Lake, Washington.