Russell Mott
Russell Mott, 89, of Beaumont, died Wednesday, December 9, 2020, at Christus Southeast Texas, St. Elizabeth, Beaumont.
There is a small Christmas tree brightly glowing on a shelf in our family room tonight. It is not made of gold or silver but it is much more valuable to me than if it were. It’s missing a limb here and there and has spots of melted plastic where long ago, a know-it-all college student didn’t know that replacement bulbs come in different ratings. It’s been lovingly cared for over the years. A hand carved star shaped angel sits on top because the owner couldn’t decide between a traditional star or the more reverent angel used on his childhood tree. Appropriately sized ornaments were obtained later but finding the right sized hooks took a couple more years. The hooks in combination with the golden ornament strings were out of proportion with the tree so each was hand tied on a fishing fly tying vice to just the right size. A couple more years of looking turned up a small wooden box that keeps the tree from falling over from the weight of the electrical cord.
The wooden box was found at a school fund raising sale a few years ago and when I was paying the tinsel toothed teenagers, I realized that they weren’t much older than I was when my father made a special trip to the store with me to pick up the one-foot tree with the real plug-in lights that was on sale for a dollar!
This kind act, after a long, hard day at work, connected me with my father. The tree became a reminder of that bond every year it was unpacked, even though for many of those years, we were thousands of miles apart. I realize now that caring for and nurturing the tree was a subconscious metaphor for doing the same for the bond.
Tonight, however, the tree seems to be glowing a little brighter and occupies an even more prominent place on the mantle. You see, I won’t be able to visit the Christmas store, or the antique store, or even the grocery store with him anymore. Today, I virtually held his hands as he took his last breaths and headed off to join his wife Izzy and fill her in on all the happenings since she’s been away.
Entombment for Mr. Mott will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 4855 Pine Street, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.
Memorial contributions may be made to Some Other Place, P.O. Box 0843, Beaumont, Texas 77704.
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Entombment
Entombment
- 4955 pine street beaumont tx 77703
- 12/16/2020
- 2:00 pm
Broussard's Mortuary - Major Drive
Broussard's Mortuary - Major Drive
- 1605 n. major drive beaumont tx 77713
Comments
Ronnie & Mary Moses
Russ was one of the nicest person you could meet.....He was a Church member with us.....He was also a volunteer in our mission, Thads Trinity Army... We built wheelchair ramps & anything that had to do with helping someone get in & out of their house... He also helped with the toy & gift setup for The Empty Stocking Fund each Christmas.... Russ would not hesitate to step up and help with any need to help with our mission outreach.... Peace and Prayers for his family......May you Rest In Peace in Gods House Russ..... Ronnie & Mary Moses......
Greig Woddai
Glad to come to know Russell through my Mom and Dad who were his neighbors on Monticello. My Dad always thought a lot of Russell.. They seemed to share some good common interest because of Russell’s engineering background. Over a time I came to know Russell as a very kind and helpful man. He was always willing to help anybody. Russell was always very kind to my Mom. They became good friends as well as neighbors. I’m very thankfuL for all the things he did for my Mom after my Dad passed and how he looked in on her. I will miss him, but I know he is being looked after. RIP Russell.
John Saladin
Our family lived across the street from Mr. Mott on Monticello for a number of years. He was always very kind to our sons, who were really young then and were always playing outside. Even after we moved to a different part of Beaumont, he sent our family a Christmas card every year. He was a fellow church-member at Trinity United Methodist Church, and we frequently saw him as services. He was a genuinely nice man who will be missed by all who knew him. Prayers to the Mott family.
Chris Willis
I went in to the office today to pick up some files as I have been working from home. I saw Mr. Mott's file and grabbed it up.... See, I always enjoyed doing his work. I returned home to get started and opened the large folder that we put our clients folder in. In it, I see a note on the file noting his passing. I was immediately saddened. You see, in a professional environment is where I had my interactions with Russell. I have had for over 25 years now. In our environment, people are clients, but over this amount of time, they become much more. Counter-intuitively, sometimes their presence becomes a release... a stress reliever. Russell was that to me. His mere presence made me feel better. He was a kind, humble happy man who I loved to see walking up the sidewalk to my office. I will forever miss him and his smile. I am happy though that he is with his loved ones now and free of this world. I know that I will see him again. Prayers and love to his family left behind.