Russell Duree

Russell Duree, age 61, of Montrose, passed away on Tuesday, December 29, 2015.  Russ was born on January 22, 1954 in El Paso, TX to Charles Woodrow and Anna Jane Duree.  He had one brother, Charles Woodrow “Woody” Duree, Jr.

Russ was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma eleven years ago and he fought a long and courageous battle with the disease.  He had a great spirit and determination and never gave up.  He had a lot of support and encouragement from his friends, family, and his coworkers.  His sense of humor helped him get through the tough times and he made a lot of close friendships with his physicians and healthcare workers.  We would like to extend a special thanks to his oncologist, Dr. Bart Barlogie, who works tirelessly and endlessly and has dedicated his life to finding a cure for Multiple Myeloma.

Russell attended college at Western State in Gunnison, CO where he majored in Art and Spanish.  After college, he attended St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio, TX.  He enjoyed fighting forest fires and he flew helicopters for the Montrose BLM during his summer breaks.  After graduating from law school, Russ returned to Gunnison, CO where he worked as the City Attorney for ten years.  He moved to Texas and was employed by Enserch Development where he worked with the negotiations to develop power projects in foreign countries for a number of years.  Russ returned to Colorado in 2003 and worked as the City Attorney for the City of Montrose until 2012 when he was retired.

Russ had many hobbies including hunting, fishing, ham radio, gold mining, photography, coin collecting, automobiles, Indy racing and cooking.

He is survived by his wife, Teresa, brother and sister in-laws, nieces, nephew and cousins.  He was preceded in death by his brother and his parents.

A Viewing will be held on Thursday, January 7^th at Crippin Funeral Home Chapel from 5 pm to 7 pm and there will be a Memorial Vigil service starting at 7 pm to celebrate his life.  The Funeral Service will be held on Friday, January 8th at 12:00 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Montrose.  Interment will take place on Saturday, January 9^th at the Gunnison Cemetery in Gunnison, CO.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the City of Montrose Police Department to be used to purchase police officers’ bullet proof vests and other personal safety equipment.  Russ was very involved in law enforcement throughout his career, and he really embraced and enjoyed working with the Police Department.  Contributions in memory of Russ can be sent to City of Montrose PD at 433 S. First St, Montrose CO  81401. Arrangements are under the care of Crippin Funeral Home and Crematory.