Russell "Russ" Dana Rexford of Jericho, Vermont, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on March 2, 2026, at the McClure Miller Respite House after a brief illness.

Russ was born on March 13, 1945, in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, the son of Maurice Rexford and Eleanor "Peggy" Russell Rexford Reese. He attended primary schools in Lyndonville, graduated from Lyndon Institute, Class of 1963, and went on to earn an associate degree from Vermont Technical College in Randolph, VT, in 1965.

Russ was a member of the Vermont Army National Guard from 1968 to 1971. He proudly served his country in Vietnam as a member of the Vermont 131st Army Corps of Engineers, the only unit from the Vermont Army National Guard to deploy to Vietnam. Following his service, he returned to what would become a 37-year career at IBM, where he was a Senior Technician Specialist in the Line Support Engineering Department. At work, Russ was known as the guy who could fix anything. He was a problem solver—always meticulous and thoughtful in his approach.

Between college and his deployment, Russ reunited with another Lyndon Institute graduate while they were both living in Burlington. This reunion marked the beginning of his 57-year marriage to his loving wife, Linda "Red" Gee. They welcomed two sons, Todd and Scott. Todd was born the day before Russ was deployed to Vietnam, and Scott arrived five years later, after the family had settled into their home in Jericho, Vermont.

Russ loved being with his family and was very active in his sons' lives. Early on, he coached them in Little League baseball and later would attend all of their sporting events—even when Todd and Scott were adults playing slow-pitch softball in their 30s. You could always count on seeing Russ and Red in the stands at any game—except when Russ was diving off the stands to catch a foul ball or searching the woods behind the short porch in right field at the old MMU field for the last home run ball.

Russ was known for always staying busy. He was usually fixing something broken, building something useful, inspecting something new, mowing, tinkering, helping his neighbors, or taking a four-hour drive on back roads to buy a loaf of bread. Later in life, he enjoyed helping Red deliver for Meals on Wheels, being an active member of the Jericho-Underhill Lions Club, and going for drives in their Mustang convertible.

In 2003, Russ became "Grampy." He was a proud and devoted grandfather. He and Gram helped with a lot of childcare over the years, bouncing between Chittenden County and back "home" to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. They attended baseball, soccer, and hockey games all over the state, as well as concerts, graduations, and all the birthday parties.

Russ is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Linda Rexford; his two sons, Todd Rexford (Leah), and Scott Rexford (Louise Morgan); and four cherished grandchildren: Kyle, Asa, Megan, and Eli.

A celebration of life will be held in the spring.

In memory of Russ, donations may be made to Age Well Vermont Meals on Wheels of Chittenden County or The McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, VT.