Long-time Cedar City resident Russell Roy Gartrell, 77, died during the early hours of Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in his room at Cedar Health and Rehab, where he had been living since 2022. Known to his friends as “Russ,” or “Gartrell,” he loved the red hills and juniper wilderness of southern Utah, and felt at home with his SUU college friends, and many friends in the community of Cedar City, UT, where he had lived since the early 1970s.

Born in 1948 in the Territory of Hawaii, Russ’s family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1951. His family relocated to the mainland in 1954 to Hawthorne, Nevada, where he graduated from high school in 1966. He attended BYU, Snow College, Dixie College, and ultimately graduated from SUU. Russ joined the Utah National Guard during the Vietnam era, and served active duty in Manhattan, Kansas and West Germany. After a life of many adventures Russ returned to LDS activity and has enjoyed participation in wards housed in Cedar City’s Historic LDS Rock Church.

Russ was preceded in death by both his parents: Roy Gartrell (1967) and Martina Gartrell (1985). He is survived by his wife of 1972 (divorced 1974), Debby Valentine Privette, his sister Mary (Koscinski) and husband Mark, their four children Holly Koscinski, Meagan Kemp-Simmons, Matthew Koscinski, Denise McCabe and Mary and Mark’s nine grandchildren, and sister Joan (Wright) and husband Michael.

Russ worked for many years at Milt’s Stage Stop Restaurant developing his lifelong friendship with Rusty and Kim Aiken and their children. He moved in the 1980s to Alaska, working for Schlumberger in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. During his weeks off he moved between his home in Anchorage, AK and his home in Cedar City, UT.

In 1983, home in Cedar City on vacation, Russ suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle and car accident that left him with the physical and mental limitations he struggled with for the rest of his life. His friends in Cedar City made his life bearable, and possible. He received uncountable gifts of kindness and support. Besides Rusty and Kim Aiken, and Scott Burns, friends Brad Marquardson, Mort Hartley, and Scott Fletcher, helped Russell through the last forty-one years with home care, companionship, and moving through the changes and decline of age and his injury. Other consistent help and support over the years came from Nancy Harrison Williams (Nano) and Patty Allen. We can never express our personal and family gratitude for those who gave greatly of themselves for our brother.

Thank you also, to the bishops and home teachers from his home Canyon Ridge Ward, and the Kolob Branch that serves Cedar Health and Rehab. Thanks to the bishoprics, the branch presidency, the Taylors and Sam and Debi Bauer; all those who served Russ and worked to bring him friendship, service in daily living, and human companionship in the gospel. And for those who are not named here, we apologize. It is clear to us that many more people than we know looked in on and gifted Russ with friendship through the years. Thank you. Cedar City provided Russ with a life when it seemed living with any normalcy was a thing of the past.

The staff, the whole staff of Cedar Health and Rehab, surpassed all hopes and expectations of care. Because of their interactions, friendships, kindness, and maintenance of his health Russ enjoyed an everyday life. Our gratitude is immense.

We must mention Russ’s beloved Labrador retriever Omar Slick (12 years), and three animals gifted to Russ by Nano, their affection surprised and pleased him greatly: the gorgeous Maine Coon cats Morningstar, boss of the neighborhood for 19 years, followed by Mr. Milo, and Miss Milo who survives Russ.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00 am at the Southern Utah Mortuary. A viewing will be held the same day from 9:00 – 10:30 am. Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery, under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. To share online condolences, please visit www.mortuary.org.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the music program at SUU in Russ’ name.

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Russell Roy Gartrell

Long-time Cedar City resident Russell Roy Gartrell, 77, died during the early hours of Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in his room at Cedar Health and Rehab, where he had been living since 2022. Known to his friends as “Russ,” or “Gartrell,” he loved the red hills and juniper wilderness of southern Utah, and felt at home with his SUU college friends, and many friends in the community of Cedar City, UT, where he had lived since the early 1970s.

Born in 1948 in the Territory of Hawaii, Russ’s family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1951. His family relocated to the mainland in 1954 to Hawthorne, Nevada, where he graduated from high school in 1966. He attended BYU, Snow College, Dixie College, and ultimately graduated from SUU. Russ joined the Utah National Guard during the Vietnam era, and served active duty in Manhattan, Kansas and West Germany. After a life of many adventures Russ returned to LDS activity and has enjoyed participation in wards housed in Cedar City’s Historic LDS Rock Church.

Russ was preceded in death by both his parents: Roy Gartrell (1967) and Martina Gartrell (1985). He is survived by his wife of 1972 (divorced 1974), Debby Valentine Privette, his sister Mary (Koscinski) and husband Mark, their four children Holly Koscinski, Meagan Kemp-Simmons, Matthew Koscinski, Denise McCabe and Mary and Mark’s nine grandchildren, and sister Joan (Wright) and husband Michael.

Russ worked for many years at Milt’s Stage Stop Restaurant developing his lifelong friendship with Rusty and Kim Aiken and their children. He moved in the 1980s to Alaska, working for Schlumberger in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. During his weeks off he moved between his home in Anchorage, AK and his home in Cedar City, UT.

In 1983, home in Cedar City on vacation, Russ suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle and car accident that left him with the physical and mental limitations he struggled with for the rest of his life. His friends in Cedar City made his life bearable, and possible. He received uncountable gifts of kindness and support. Besides Rusty and Kim Aiken, and Scott Burns, friends Brad Marquardson, Mort Hartley, and Scott Fletcher, helped Russell through the last forty-one years with home care, companionship, and moving through the changes and decline of age and his injury. Other consistent help and support over the years came from Nancy Harrison Williams (Nano) and Patty Allen. We can never express our personal and family gratitude for those who gave greatly of themselves for our brother.

Thank you also, to the bishops and home teachers from his home Canyon Ridge Ward, and the Kolob Branch that serves Cedar Health and Rehab. Thanks to the bishoprics, the branch presidency, the Taylors and Sam and Debi Bauer; all those who served Russ and worked to bring him friendship, service in daily living, and human companionship in the gospel. And for those who are not named here, we apologize. It is clear to us that many more people than we know looked in on and gifted Russ with friendship through the years. Thank you. Cedar City provided Russ with a life when it seemed living with any normalcy was a thing of the past.

The staff, the whole staff of Cedar Health and Rehab, surpassed all hopes and expectations of care. Because of their interactions, friendships, kindness, and maintenance of his health Russ enjoyed an everyday life. Our gratitude is immense.

We must mention Russ’s beloved Labrador retriever Omar Slick (12 years), and three animals gifted to Russ by Nano, their affection surprised and pleased him greatly: the gorgeous Maine Coon cats Morningstar, boss of the neighborhood for 19 years, followed by Mr. Milo, and Miss Milo who survives Russ.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00 am at the Southern Utah Mortuary. A viewing will be held the same day from 9:00 – 10:30 am. Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery, under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. To share online condolences, please visit www.mortuary.org.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the music program at SUU in Russ’ name.

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