BIXBY, Okla. — Bixby Public Schools is back in session after fall break but without a vital part of their community.
An unexpected accident claimed the life of one of the district's treasured custodians.
Joe Russell had been taking care of district buildings for four years. In that time, he made quite an impact.
“I really just think it had to do with his personality and his attitude," said Kelly Marsaln-McBride, a seventh-grade geography teacher. "He was just a positive person that always had something to say, he always spoke to people, and he was just someone that everyone was just kind of drawn to.”
She worked in the middle school while Russell worked there before he was moved to the high school. The middle school teacher considered him more of a friend than a coworker.
“He was just always so positive, always had a smile on his face," she said. "I think that was one of the reasons so many people feel so connected.”
After he was moved to the high school, Marsaln-McBride said Russell still came to work at the middle school in the evenings.
She remembers one of her last conversations with the custodian was about how proud he was to be heading into a new role, as the supervisor of all custodians at the new high school.
In the face of such deep and unexpected loss, the entire district is rallying around the Russell's.
Superintendent Rob Miller addressed the district, saying in part:
Our entire school community wraps our arms around the Russell family. Joe's wife, Tammy, and their daughters, Samantha and Haley, are also BPS employees, and several of their grandchildren attend Bixby Schools. We extend our deepest condolences to them during this incredibly difficult time and stand ready to support them however we can.
“You see GoFundMe’s set up that have already met the goal if not exceeded it, there’s meal trains... It’s not just his own friends, but it’s teacher’s that are helping,” said Marsaln-McBride.
Here's how you can help the Russells.
The Russell family is deeply intertwined with the district.
Joe's wife and two daughters are custodians in the district, as well. He also has seven grandchildren enrolled in BPS.
His daughter Samantha told 2 News that he was a caring, funny, free spirit.
“He would be the one that would give his shirt off his back, so that you had the help," she said. "I’ve had so many people come up and tell me how much he’s done for them, or their stories of him, just how helpful he has been.”
Samantha said her grief comes in waves, but she is happy to talk about him.
The support she and the rest of her family have received over the last several days has been keeping the Russells afloat as they navigate the unimaginable.
“I’m sure we would have gotten through it, it would have just maybe been a whole lot worse, but with their help and their willingness, it’s taken a lot of the burden off.
Services for Russell will be held on Oct. 23.
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