Nassau, NY – Nassau – Greta Marie Fredriksen Russell, 86, of Nassau, NY slipped quietly and peacefully off to heaven on Tuesday July 12, 2016 at the Hospice Inn of St. Peter’s with her daughters by her side. Leaving a legacy of faith and unconditional love, she taught her children to honor God, and served her family and others sacrificially. Greta was a master gardener and a skilled artist and craftsperson with an eye and hand for home décor and painting. She was deeply loved and family gatherings were not complete without her. Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1929, Greta spent much of her life in Mount Vernon, NY where she met and married her husband John Kenneth Russell. Following high school, Greta worked as a dental assistant. Later she and her husband moved to Stormville, NY, where together they raised their children. There she was a homemaker and foster parent to several children. Greta was predeceased by her parents, Frank Fredriksen, Inez Eliasson Fredriksen, and her sister Doris Crown.
She is survived by her husband of 65 years, John Kenneth Russell of Nassau; her sister Mildred (Bob) Trahnstrom of Wellsboro, PA; brother Len (Judith) Fredriksen of Davenport, FL; her daughters Lynn Thornton (Todd) of Guilderland, Laura (David) Churchill of North Chatham, and Jeannette Kravic of Red Hook. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Jillian Thornton, Melissa Churchill Critton, Megan Churchill Griffin, John Kravic, James Kravic, and Johanna Kravic; as well as many nieces and nephews. Viewing hours will be Sunday evening from 5-8:00 at the Bond Funeral Home in Valatie, NY. A memorial service and celebration of Greta’s life will be held 11:00 Monday morning at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Stuyvesant.
In lieu of flowers, friends and family may make donations in Greta’s memory to John Kravic and Emily Fahey’s Pan Mass Challenge, a 192 mile bike ride which raises money for research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute…”until we find a cure!”.
