Richard "Rich" Russman

Memorial services for Richard "Rich" Russman, 47, of Aberdeen, will be 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 14, 2014, at First United Methodist Church, 502 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, with Pastor Tom Haggar presiding.

Rich's wishes were to be cremated with interment taking place at Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery in Aberdeen.

Schriver's Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements. Friends may sign his online guestbook at schriversmemorial.com.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at the mortuary with a prayer service and time of sharing at 7:00 p.m.

Rich passed away, Friday, May 9, 2014, at Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center.

Memorials are preferred by the family.

Richard Lee Russman was born in Gregory, S.D., to Lyle and Leonora Russman on March 20, 1967. He was baptized in the Lutheran Church in Gregory, and was confirmed at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Aberdeen. He currently attended First United Methodist Church in Aberdeen.

Rich lived with his family in Gregory until they moved to Aberdeen in 1971. He attended Henry Neill Elementary School, Simmons Jr. High and graduated from Central High School in 1985. From there he went on to attend the University of South Dakota, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in history and a minor in psychology. He then earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1993.

Rich was united in marriage to Tracy Wilkinson on October 30, 1993, at Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. The couple made their home in Aberdeen and was blessed with three children.

Rich was a partner in the law firm of Richardson, Wylie, Wise, Sauck & Hieb from 2004 until his death. Prior to joining the Richardson Law Firm in 2004, Rich honed his legal skills through a general practice that specialized in criminal law. Rich practiced both civil and criminal law in private practice at the Rice, Ewinger & Russman Law Firm. He served as the Chief Deputy State's Attorney at the Brown County State's Attorney's Office between 2000 and 2005. Rich was appointed to the Federal Practice Committee in 2010.

He was an avid baseball player and fan. He played or coached from the time he was a young boy, beginning with the Aberdeen Smittys, and then went on to play intercollegiate ball for the University of South Dakota. He continued to play amateur baseball until he was 38 years old. Rich was also an avid hunter. He felt most at peace sitting in a tree stand, a duck blind or traversing South Dakota's terrain for all variety of foul.

He was preceded in death by his father, Lyle Russman and his uncles: Dean, Roger, and Richard Russman.

He is survived by his wife, Tracy Russman; his three children: Zachary, Madison, and Reese; his mother, Leonora Russman Thurow; his father, Duane Thurow; his sister, Renae Russman Magera; and his uncle, Gale Russman of Fort Collins, Colorado.