Michael Leon "Mike" Russey, 70, of Elkhart, Indiana, passed away peacefully but quite unexpectedly on Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 10:05 am at the Center for Hospice Care Esther House in Elkhart following a very brief but courageous battle with cancer. His family was at his side during his quiet transition.

Mike started life in Three Rivers, Michigan on May 1, 1954; the son of the late Leon and Carla (Bruning) Russey. Fast forward to an evening in late spring of 1983 in Constantine, Michigan when Mike and his late brother, Steven "Steve" Russey were out celebrating their birthdays together. Simply by chance, Mike met a sweet gal by the name of Rachel A. (Griffith) Bullock, and the rest of the story was, as we say, "history". On July 14, 1984, Mike and Rachel were married in Three Rivers and Rachel currently survives at home following over 40 wonderful years together. They would laugh about spending their first year together living in a tent at a campground (true story), but all we can say is things only went up from there!

Also surviving is his daughter Stacy L. (Jordan) Avery of Three Rivers and sons Ryan P. (Jodi) Russey of the Kalamazoo, Michigan area and Bryan C. Bullock of Constantine; grandchildren Kaylee and Noel Russey, Emily and Sydney Avery, and Lucas, Isabel and Amelia Bullock, and a host of loving extended family and friends.

Along with his brother Steve, Mike is preceded in death by his faithful good girl Yuna, a Husky-Shepherd mix who passed a year ago in May.

Following Mike's wishes, no immediate rites or gatherings are planned and cremation arrangements have been made with the assistance of Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart.

Mike worked nearly 32 years as a machinist at Elkhart Brass, where he helped design and manufacture internationally renowned firefighting equipment.  Amazingly, Mike's "master-level" skills were self-taught without any formal education past a GED. He was regularly consulted at the shop asking for his input and skill. Ast home, Rachel would rave about him building their house. From construction, to plumbing to wiring the electricity, Mike did it all on a professional grade. His kids would add that Mike also held unique skills in fixing cars and working on small motors, gadgets and just about anything else that you had to take apart to fix.

Mike was also an accomplished (and of course, self-taught) musician, and in his earlier years loved to play the guitar. Even today, chords of America's "Sandman" still brings wonderful childhood memories to mind for his daughter. Additionally, all of Mike's children would agree that Rachel and Mike were fiercely loyal and steadfast with each other, and Mike's "can-do" attitude served as an inspiration to the whole family. A loving husband and dad, Mike was the type of guy who would easily cross any obstacle in life. His calm demeanor and his adherence to his unshakeable Faith cleared many a path for Mike and his family and served as a reminder that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

In his free time, Mike enjoyed astronomy and stargazing with his telescopes. Model rocketry was another one of Mike's hobbies. As a recovering alcoholic, he achieved nearly a decade of total sobriety and was very proud of his success at overcoming yet another troublesome obstacle.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the staff at the Hospice House went above and beyond any care expectations that Mike's family could have ever realized, and the family would like any memorial donations to go to the Center for Hospice Care. Additionally, in true Mike fashion, he leaves us with one last piece of advice: take care of yourselves. His cancer, a direct result of lifestyle factors, could have been detected earlier with a simple CT scan. So, if you have risk factors like smoking or frequent exposure to toxins, do Mike proud and get checked. If he were here, he'd probably tell you, in his practical and no-nonsense way, that it's better to catch it early than to be the subject of an obituary like this one. It would give Mike's family much solace as well.

Rest easy, Mike. We know you're already up there tinkering with the celestial gears and making sure Heaven's buildings are up to standard.