By Deborah Larsen
Clarence Paul Russell
Clarence Paul Russell was born in Ferndale, Michigan, on June 13, 1926, the son of Clarence and Mary Weber Russell. Clarence attended Rochester High School and graduated in the class of 1944. After high school, he worked for McAleer Manufacturing in Rochester.
In October 1944, Clarence entered the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the 511th Parachute Infantry of the 11th Airborne Division. The 511th participated in the battles of Leyte, Manila, and Luzon in the Philippines, and it was the first Allied unit to land on the Japanese islands after the surrender of Japan. Clarence was released from military service in November 1946.
After the war, Clarence returned to Rochester. Less than two years after returning from military service, he was stricken with an acute case of polio and died of the disease.
Clarence Paul Russell died at age 22 on October 22, 1948, and was laid to rest in Mount Avon Cemetery.