Marion M. Russell

Marion Morriss Russell, age 94, of North Haven, died on Friday, July 10, 2026.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, July 2, 1932, she was the daughter of Marion Norcross Morriss and William Haviland Morriss.

She grew up in Wallingford, Connecticut on the campus of what was then Gaylord Farm Sanatorium, where her father was Medical Director. The family later moved to Hamden, Connecticut. Marion was a graduate of The Day School in New Haven and a graduate of Pembroke College at Brown University in 1953. She earned a Master’s degree in nursing at the Yale Graduate School of Nursing in 1956 and worked for the Visiting Nurses Association of New Haven.

Marion married Edgar Lyman Russell in 1958 and the couple moved to Apalachin, New York, where their son, William Lyman Russell, was born. The family moved to Milwaukee, where Marion worked as a nurse at the Milwaukee County General Hospital, and then back to North Haven. Marion was an active member of the Auxiliary of Yale New Haven Hospital for many years and served as its president. She was also a long-time member of Yale University Women's Organization (YUWO) and enjoyed time with friends in The North End Club of New Haven.

Marion cherished memories of childhood summers on Damariscotta Lake, Maine. She and Ed enjoyed traveling in the US and Europe and vacation time at their home in Stowe, Vermont.

They made regular trips to New York City for performances of opera and ballet. Marion loved her cats, enjoyed meals with friends and family, and delighted in spending time with her son and his family.

Marion is survived by her son, William Lyman Russell; daughter-in-law, Claire Russell; grandchildren, Connor, Christian, and Charlotte; sister, Elizabeth Morriss Campbell; nephews, Ronald Burns Campbell, III and his wife Susan Campbell, and David Haviland Campbell and his wife Jennifer Campbell; nieces, Carolyn Haviland Obel-Omia and her husband Michael Obel-Omia, and Catherine Campbell Kessler and her husband Nathanael Kessler; and nephew, Jonathan Reel and his spouse Michael Timinski.

Her Funeral Service will be held at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, 3 Trumbull Place, North Haven, CT, at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. A luncheon will follow. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Marion’s name can be made to the Yale School of Nursing Giving portal at https://nursing.yale.edu/giving. Arrangements are in care of Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden. To send condolences, please see obituary at www.beecherandbennett.com.