Russell E. Gessner passed away unexpectedly on January 1, 2025, at Cape Cod Hospital. He was born on October 1, 1931, in Boston and grew up in Kingston, MA. He was the third of seven children born to Richard and Elizabeth Gessner. He was predeceased by all of his siblings, Richard, Robert, Gertrude, Raymond, Ronald, and Gwendolyn, as well as his first wife, Nancy. They raised their children in Sudbury, MA, where Russ was very active in the community and in his church.

Russ is survived by his loving wife, Mary Avery Gessner, two children, Joanne Roberts (Randall) of Rockwood, ME, and John Gessner of Belgrade, ME. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and five grandchildren, Daniel Gessner (Savi) of NY, Kelsey Stack (Michael) of Weymouth, MA, Jackson Roberts (Sydney) of Cypress, TX, Joseph Gessner of Weymouth, MA, and Lindsey Roberts of Somerville, MA. Russ was very involved in their activities and provided many fun experiences for them during their numerous visits to Cape Cod.

Russ and Mary met after retiring to Kings Way in Yarmouth Port and recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Russ and Mary loved to travel and especially enjoyed small river boat cruises in Europe with friends.

Russ worked through the evolution of the computer industry. After his military service, Russ used the G.I. Bill to take courses in sheet metal fabrication and manufacturing management at universities in Boston, including M.I.T., Northeastern, and Bentley. He worked for 25 years in the computer industry including Honeywell, Compugraphic, and Prime Computer where he was their General Manager for 5 years at their company in Dublin, Ireland, a job requiring him to work with corporations throughout Europe.

At Kings Way, Russ served as Treasurer for several years on the Kings Way Trust Board, and as Chair of several golf committees. He organized a Sunday afternoon couples golf league for 20 years. He loved the game of golf and continued to play beyond his 90th birthday. He was also a member of the Cape Cod Community Emergency Response Team.

His outstanding generosity of spirit and sense of humor created an abundance of joy and inspiration for his family, friends, and colleagues. He will be remembered for his honesty, kindness, and down to earth hardworking nature. He learned at a very young age that nothing replaces hard work, preparation, and perseverance.

A memorial service will be held at The First Congregational Church of Yarmouth (329 Main Street, Route 6A, Yarmouth Port) on Saturday, April 5, at 11 am, with a luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Russ’ memory to The First Congregational Church of Yarmouth which was very important to him.

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