Russell W. Luke

Russell Warren Luke, age 65, died suddenly on April 12, 2012, in his home in Canton, Michigan with his beloved wife Linda at his side. Russell was born in New York City, and grew up in Garden City, New York where he and Linda met in high school. They married in 1969. Russell was a devoted and loving father to their two sons, Timothy and Brian, Tim’s wife Kim, and two grandchildren Alyssa and Hailey. Soul mate, role model, friend, advisor, tickle-monster…words cannot convey all that he was and all that he meant to his family. Russell graduated from the University of Akron and worked at Ford Motor Company for 34 years as an Engineer. As a Global Plant Engineering Manager he worked on projects throughout the world and loved to travel and experience different cultures. He enjoyed skiing and shared that joy with family, recently hitting the slopes in Vermont with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters by his side. At age 8 he fixed his parents broken vacuum cleaner and never looked back. Russell could fix just about anything, always had the right tool for the job, and loved woodworking, creating beautiful and timeless pieces of furniture that will be handed down for generations to come. He passed his love of designing and making things work better on to his children and grandchildren and generously shared his talents with family, friends, and community members in need. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth, where he was responsible for many impressive building improvements and renovations. Russell is also survived by his loving mother Marion, 95, his sister Marsha, 10 nieces and nephews, along with his many loving in-laws who spent countless happy times with him at Duck Lake in Michigan. He will be sorely missed. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on May 5th at the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 24359 Northwestern Highway, Suite 225, Southfield, MI 48075. Arrangements entrusted to the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home, Plymouth.