Daphne Jean Russell

Daphne, also known as “Cookie,” was a kind, generous, and creative woman, born to Troy and Vera Thomas in 1943, during WWII. As a child, she spent lots of time with her Colorado cousins, aunts, and uncles, as her mother had to work because her father was serving his country in WWII and the Korean War.

She graduated from Lincoln High School in Denver, Colorado in 1961 and married the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Russell, in 1967 after meeting at the blood bank where she worked.

They moved to England for his Air Force deployment, and in 1970, had one daughter, Carrie. After they returned to the States, Bob redeployed to Southeast Asia for the Vietnam War. After he returned, they lived in Virginia for a few years, then returned to Colorado Springs in the mid 1970’s.

She spent 16 years as a stay-at-home mom to raise Carrie, teaching her early on how to write, draw, and create. When Bob retired from the Air Force in 1983, they all moved from Colorado to Massachusetts to help with the care of his mother Margaret until her passing.

In 1995, they returned to Colorado Springs, moving into a large duplex with her parents, Troy and Vera, and their daughter Carrie. They planted heirloom roses, trees, and many flowers to create an inviting yard for birds and wildlife, which she enjoyed immensely. Later in life, she loved to sit on her porch to watch the birds and squirrels frolic for seeds and nuts. She loved all animals and often donated to Wildlife conservation and Humane Societies. She had many cats (and a few dogs) throughout her life and wished she could adopt them all.

In Colorado Springs, Cookie found her perfect job with Holly Berry House Originals, where she made rubber stamps, created gorgeous arts and crafts, and sold many of her works through their retail store in Old Colorado City. Her artistic talent blossomed, and she became known as the Santa Lady for her beautiful dolls and love of the Christmas holiday. She enjoyed travelling the country for family reunions, trade shows, and bowling tournaments for Bob. She cared for her parents in their golden years, with Vera passing in 2000 and Troy in 2017.

She survived breast cancer in 2011, but a series of other health issues started to slow her down so much that Carrie and her husband Jack moved back to Colorado Springs in 2017 to make sure she and Bob were cared for. She had been recently hospitalized, and spent time in rehabilitation to make it home just in time for her favorite holiday, Christmas. She passed peacefully in her sleep, in her home, exactly as she wanted. She chose a pre-paid cremation plan many years ago and requested her ashes to be spread around Cripple Creek, where she often played penny slots and browsed the antique stores.

She is survived by her husband Bob, her daughter Carrie, son-in-law Jack, and her two cats, Thomas and Runa. She also leaves behind other family members; an uncle Verle, cousins Alice, Ellen, Sharon, and Paula, sister-in-law Louise, brothers-in-law Dicky and Freddy, and too many nieces and nephews to list.

We are all looking forward to seeing her in heaven again someday. Until then, we will do our best to continue being kind, helping out when we can, pet all the cats, and grow beautiful flowers. And always remember the joy of Christmas.

She did not want a funeral, but there will be a small celebration of life this spring or summer. In lieu of sending the family flowers, please consider a charitable donation to your local Humane Society, Wildlife Conservation, Cancer research, or Military Veteran or First Responder support.