Las Vegas, NV - Russell Alan Messenger was born in Omaha, Nebraska on April 6, 1955 to Wallace and Blanche Messenger as their third child. When Russ was three years old, the family moved to the small rural town of Burwell, Nebraska. It was here, surrounded by friends and family, that Russ developed into the person we knew and loved.

As a young man, he moved to South Fork, Colorado where he met the love of his life, Brenda Holman. They were happily married on August 29, 1986. They moved to Las Vegas in 1988 and had their first daughter, Kelli Kay, on August 14th, 1989. They welcomed their second daughter, Lindsey Lee, to their family when she was born on May 8th, 1996.

Russell is remembered as a devoted husband and caregiver to his wife, Brenda, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and fought for eight years. He was a consistent provider for his girls and ensured Kelli & Lindsey had access to all things they wanted to do growing up. After Brenda's passing, Russ was a protective and doting father to Kelli who was placed in a nursing home. He oversaw her care until her death in 2022. He was proud of Lindsey for moving to Colorado to pursue her master's degree and ultimately finding her career path as an occupational therapist. He enjoyed visiting her in CO and spending free time fishing the Poudre River.

In his free time, Russ enjoyed long distance competitive target shooting (1+ miles) and competed in regional matches with Long Range Rifle Silhouette. He enjoyed reloading ammunition and was a talented woodworker. He built many beautiful furniture pieces for his family. Most of all, Russ cared about the people in his life and showed genuine kindness to others. He always had a witty remark and a bit of a mischievous grin. He will truly be missed by all who knew him.

Russ is survived by his daughter, Lindsey (Fort Collins, CO), mother Blanche Messenger (Valentine, NE) and mother-in-law Laverne Lundy (Cordell, OK), sisters Deb (Jerry) Ryschon & Tracy (Brad) Dugan in Valentine, NE and brother Scott (Linda) in Charlotte, NC. He has a slew of nieces and nephews across the country as well. He was welcomed into Heaven by his wife, Brenda, & daughter, Kelli; father, Wallace Messenger & father-in-law, Benjamin Holman, as well as his older brother, Steve Messenger.