Russell Gene Vinson

Vinson, Russell Gene, 89, of Grapevine, Texas, passed away November 11, 2021. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 68 years, Dolores; his parents, Elizabeth and Lindsey O. Vinson and his sister, Jackie Jacobson. Russ was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on April 29, 1932. He met the love of his life, Dolores Maxine Wilson, in Nevada, Iowa and they were married at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa on July 17, 1952. He served in the Navy from 1951- 1955. Russ earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1959 and his MBA from the University of Iowa in 1971. He worked for Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for 20 years where he rose to become Director of Production Engineering for the Avionics and Missile Group. He then moved to Florida in 1980 working for E-Systems in their Memcor production facility. He joined E-Systems Communications Manufacturing Division (CMD) in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1982 where they manufactured advanced technology communications equipment for the military. He was later promoted to Vice President of Manufacturing Operations at CMD. He finished his career at the ITT Aerospace/Communications Division in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he oversaw the manufacture of the GOES weather satellite. The satellite was launched in April of 1994 and he and Dolores were able to attend the launch at the Kennedy Space Center. He retired from ITT in 1994 and he and Dolores returned to the Tampa area where they relished their Florida lifestyle. He volunteered at the Tampa Bay Center for Fine Arts with his wife and enjoyed packing boxes to send to military personnel overseas. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his daughter, Deborah Vinson Ellenberg (Russell), and son, Lindsey Paul Vinson (Troy); grandchildren, Benjamin Vinson (Whitney), Matthew Ellenberg (Melanie), Samuel Vinson (Kate), Elizabeth Vinson, Morgan Krigelman (Zachary), and Jake Vinson; and great grandchildren, Grant Vinson, Alyssa Krigelman, Charles Vinson, Duncan Ellenberg and Porter Vinson. A Memorial and Interment will be held at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery on November 24, 2021.