Who had the most positive influence on you as a child?

My big brother, Reggie, had the most influence on me as a child. He was 12 when I was born and took a lot of interest in me. He taught me to love sports and showed me how to play football and baseball. He played catch with me and taught me many fundamentals of football. He even took me to Richmond to watch Virginia Tech and the University of Richmond play a game. He knew many of the Virginia Tech players and took me down on the field after the game and introduced me to them.

He spent hours and hours teaching me various things. I felt loved by him. When I was in High School and played football, he came to many of my games, and after the game, he would come to the locker room to congratulate me for playing well.

After he graduated from college, he still lived at home. Virginia Carolina Fertilizer Company of Norfolk hired him after he graduated from Va. Tech. He would often take me to contact fertilizer distributors down in North Carolina. We spent the whole day together, and he would take me out to lunch, and we had good times together.

He also taught me how to build model airplanes and ships. We put together dozens of them and then strung them across my bedroom from the ceiling.

I loved him all his life. I did not get to see him much after he was married. I thought of him every single day of my life and prayed for him daily. His work carried him to many places. He passed in August 2021. I conducted his funeral in Blacksburg, Virginia. Today, his birthday, he would have been 88.

He knew Jesus and is with Him today

Pictured is my big brother Reggie on the left, Russell in the middle, and me on the right. July 2017