James Russell Respress, born on March 20, 1941 in Foster, Virginia, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Russell and his four siblings were raised in Moon, Virginia by his father, Robert Burley Respress, a roofing contractor, and his mother, Julia Mae (Peters), a homemaker.
As a teen, Russell worked as a projectionist in a local movie theater, sparking a lifelong interest in all things cinema. He loved playing on the varsity football and baseball teams at Mathews High School, where he graduated from in 1959.
After graduation, Russell enlisted in the United States Air Force to specialize in photography and to travel internationally. Russell crossed the globe photographing history being made—including the construction of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis—before moving into the newly-created field of video production.
It was in 1965 while Russell was helping to build the first television studio at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that he met Monette Littmann of Denver, Colorado, then a student at Colorado State College in Greeley. They quickly fell in love and married in Denver in 1967. They moved to Michigan where Russell worked at Wayne State University and furthered his studies in radio, television and film. Russell received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Michigan State University in 1971 and 1972, respectively.
Russell went on to teach film and video production/broadcasting at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and at Ohio University in Athens. Russell was a favored lecturer among his students, a number of whom remained in touch years after.
In 1982, Russell relocated his family to Burke, Virginia and pivoted his career to another new technology: network engineering. Russell worked for the MITRE Corporation of McLean, Virginia, until 1999, where he helped introduce and implement the use of video conferencing to the many satellite offices within the organization. During that time, Russell also served as the charter Scoutmaster of Scout Troop 1347 in Burke, Virginia; integrally supported the Band and Orchestra programs at James W. Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia; and spent many, many years volunteering as a public access television producer with Fairfax Cable Access Corporation (better known as Channel 10).
Russell could always find the sometimes-hard-to-see good in people and consistently sought to create opportunities for loved ones (family and friends alike) to succeed. Russell understood the value of being a good listener and letting people know that he was proud of them. It was hard to not love Russell.
Russell will be best remembered for his generous spirit, his easy laugh, and the love of his children and grandchildren.
Russell is survived by Monette, his loving wife of 58 years; his two sons, R.J. Respress (Christy) of Takoma Park, Md., and Jeff Respress (Dorian Howard) of Los Angeles, Calif.; his four grandchildren, Ben, Sophie, Mila, and Ruby; his sister, Mary Catherine McDaniel; his three brothers, Roy Respress, Leland Respress and Burley Lee Respress.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that any donations be directed in Russell’s memory to Pathways to Housing DC—a non-profit very close to his heart. Pathways to Housing DC helps to house and reconnect to services adults suffering from severe mental illness and chronic homelessness. https://pathwaystohousingdc.org/donate/
A celebration of Russell’s life is being planned for the spring and will be announced at a later date.