The Class lost a dear friend on June 24, 1999, when Russ died in Sunnyvale, California. He was 33.
Russ grew up in Moraga, CA and graduated from Campolindo High School. At Princeton, he was one of the original "clapper nabbers," tracking down the clapper on the freshman year hunt. Later, Russ captained the varsity waterpolo team, and after taking a year off to travel, he graduated with a degree in economics. He was a member of Cloister Inn.
After a stint at Price Waterhouse, he earned his MBA from the Haas Business School at the Univ. of Cal. At the time of his death, he was working as a manager at Hewlett-Packard.
Russell married Jill Firpo in 1992. The proud parents brought daughter Shannon with them to our recent 10th Reunion, and they looked forward to sharing many more happy occasions together. Russ never had the chance to meet his second daughter, Ally, born just five weeks after his passing.
Russ and Jill were active in a number of worthy organizations in the Bay Area. They volunteered with the Peninsula Habitat for Humanity and were also involved with the Larkin Street Youth Center in San Francisco and the Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos.
At Russ's funeral, Don Berthiaume '88 eulogized our friend, saying: "Russell possessed the best of all qualities. He was intelligent, athletic, energetic and compassionate. Everybody that met Russell liked him instantly. He was honest, dedicated, dependable and fun to be around. Among his fellow Princetonians, to us, he represented everything that a Princetonian should be."
The Class shares its profound sorrow with and extends its deepest sympathy to Jill, Shannon, and Ally; Russell's parents, Lad and Leslie Lynch of Moraga; and sisters Becky Janssen of Kenwood and Megan Lynch of San Francisco.
Donations can be made in Russell's memory to the Class of 1988 Memorial Scholarship Fund; the Peninsula Habitat for Humanity (1010 Doyle Drive, Menlo Park CA 94025); or the Larkin Street Youth Center.
