Russell married his wife Patricia on September 29, 1956, and together they had four children, two girls and two boys.

He worked as an apprentice steamfitter in Lachine Quebec until he was promoted and transferred to Kingston in 1970 as the manager of Safety, Security and Fire Protection. He worked there until retirement in 1990.

Russell was an executive member of the OPP Community Policing and phone patrol from 1975 to 1995. He joined the Kingston Township detachment of the OPP in late January 1991 where he performed guard duties at Kingston Township, Amherstview, Sharon Lake and South Frontenac detachments. He resigned from guard duties from South Frontenac in mid August 2012.

He joined the Kingston Chapter of the OPPVA in 2024.