Sending my condolences, I will miss Russ! I wrote a memory message about him in this week's employee newsletter at Cloverdale Paint :
Its with a heavy heart that we announce the recent passing of Russell Williams. Known as Russ or affectionately to some as Papa Russ, he was the assistant manager at 57 prior to transferring to 61. Russ was a friend to all and was known for his generosity whether it was treating people to lunch, surprising staff with Tim Horton’s, or offering rides home in his trusty van.
I considered Russ to be my “work husband" - When I transferred to 56, he would start almost every conversation we had with “Where’s my alimony?". He had the greatest sense of humour!!! One of my favorite things about Russ was that he had a tool for everything. I mean LITERALLY everything. He was often my partner in crime, when I would mention the most random ideas like filling the office with balloons for our manager Steve’s birthday, Russ often encouraged my schemes and added his idea to fill the balloons using his air compressor.
Even though Cloverdale has lost the “Russtomer Service” we all benefited from knowing Russ. He was able to bring his 30 years experience in the paint industry helping out our customers and even mentoring fellow employees. Russ enjoyed a good dad joke, one of them being when asked "What's up, Russ?" He would playfully reply “The sky, the moon, the price of cigarettes."
We will all miss the stash of Fisherman’s Friends lozenges in his front pocket, the smell of his double double from his brown vintage Tims cup, listening to his stories of his beloved dog Bailey but most importantly, we will miss his caring and friendly nature.
Goodbye to our coworker but most importantly our friend. Our experience working at Cloverdale will always be bright because of you and your decade with us.
Let us all raise a glass (his fave being Grand Marnier) in your honour, Russ!!
