Hannelore Russell

Hannelore Russell 79 of Dunkirk (Chautauqua Nursing & Rehablitation Center) joined her husband in Heaven Oct 30th, 2018 after a couragious battle with Alzheimers Disease.

She was born in Wilhelmshaven Germany January 26th, 1939 where she lived and attended a trade school in Germany to learn Secretarial Skills and worked in an Insurance office near a US Air Force Base in Kaiseralautern with her best friend Ingrid where they both met and married (November 30th 1960) the 2 US Air Force roommates Robert Henry Russell and Brian Johnson. The four were friends forever even though they went their separate ways they remain very close today.As a child during the war in Germany her mother took she and her 2 siblings by train to Solacia now Poland to be safe from bombings which turned out to be a struggle to live when the Russian army came in. They escaped on what turned out to be a 6 month trek primarily on foot through Czechoslovakia and eventually to the Alps where they came across a US military troop who rescued them and helped get back to Bremerhaven where they grew up through the rebuild of Germany during very difficult times. This has been documented.

Hannelore was proud of her heritage but also proud to become an American Citizen which she did. She & Bob moved to Dunkirk in 1964 where she worked as a Commercial lines Rep for Soch Insurance agency for 28 yrs before they closed and then onto other agencies including Tradition Agency and David Glenn Agency. After retiring from that she went to work for what was her passion (Reading) in the Dunkirk Free Library for an additional 10 years. She was always preaching to children to learn and speak proper English as she learned from the time she was 5 and took pride in helping others learn.The Catholic church was her life which she instilled in her children and anyone she met. She had an amazing voice and sang in choirs, many weddings and funerals to the end. Her favorite phrase was “He who sings once prays twice”. She and my father were extremely active and involved in the Pro Life Movement, they helped start what later became the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center now in Fredonia NY. She loved attending her monthly Kaffe Clatch organization which was a group of women with German decent who got together over the years for Coffee and Cake talking of their heritage and was a Bud & Bloom member because she loved flowers and had a genuine green thumb.

She was always proud of her entire family and is survived by her daughter Ellen Lynne (Thomas Bird) Luczkowiak, Steven Thomas (Donna) Russell, and Gregory Scott Russell with the light of her life grandchildren, Erin (Rick) Herling, Ryan (Vy Doan) Luczkowiak, James Luczkowiak, Amanda Russell, Kylie Mae Russell, Ashley Russell, Nicholas & Kristen Russell, also her 3 beautiful great grandchildren Alexander Luczkowiak, Angela & Riley Herling. She is also survived by a brother Siegried (Anna) Rinke of Germany, her sister Margrit Mason of Cape Cod, sisters in law Virginia Fancher & Barbara McLeod along with many Nieces & Nephews. She is predeceased by her beloved husband Robert H. Russell who passed June 8th, 2018 and her parents Georg & Emilie Rinke of Germany.

Friends & Family are invited to attend a mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated Tuesday November 6th at 10:00 a.m. in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church on Washington Ave in Dunkirk, NY with calling hours from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at R. Mackowiak Funeral Home located at 56 E. Doughty Street in Dunkirk with Entombment in the Assumption Mausoleum of St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Hannelore gave so much to their family but also donated to many worthy causes. In Lieu of Flowers please consider a donation to the wonderful people who helped her at Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care 20 Fairmount Ave, Lakewood NY 14750 or the St Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center 32 Moore Ave Fredonia NY 14063.

A special thank you to the Nurses & Aides at Chautauqua Nursing & Rehab and the many folks of Hospice especially Tammy.