St. George, UT - On May 17, 2025, at age 97, Liona Russell Roberts, Jr. ("LR" or "Russ") passed away peacefully, surrounded by his children. Throughout his long life, Russ Roberts was driven by an unstoppable thirst for knowledge, perpetual curiosity to seek new horizons, and the brilliance to reach the pinnacle of each pursuit. He was a Naval Aviator and engineer; a leader, teacher and mentor; a Renaissance man; and a devoted and beloved Dad and patriarch to his extended family.

Russ was born in Sheffield, Alabama to Julia Harrison Roberts, a schoolteacher, and Liona Russell Roberts Sr., a TVA factory supervisor and Baptist deacon. Russ recalled a typical childhood with his brother Clyde, watching Western movies on Saturdays, running a paper route, and going to school where their mother taught. When the young family moved to a rural farm in Tuscumbia, his parents' practical hobbies of growing their own food, and tinkering with machinery and woodworking in the barn, set patterns that would recur later in Russ' life. He graduated from Sheffield High School in 1945 as a Salutatorian and star football player, which made him a local hero. However, he had already set his sights on becoming a Naval Aviator, and at age 17, Russ left home to join the U.S. Navy.

As WWII was winding down, Russ earned a prized spot in the Navy's shrinking pilot training program. He was awarded his Naval Aviator Badge (aka "wings") as an Ensign in 1948. He was given assignments in Corpus Christi, TX, then San Diego, CA, and the Philippines, flying PBM-5A Mariner aircraft and performing surveillance on shipping lanes over the Pacific.

During 1950-52 Russ was stationed in Kyushu, Japan, as a pilot and courier of men and materiel in the Korean War. The missions were dangerous, and among other harrowing episodes, he survived a plane crash that flung him and much of his cargo out of the plane, underwater in Sasebo Bay.

Returning from Japan in 1952, Russ married Norma Jean Walker, a top beauty contestant at Sheffield High School. Together they created a family amidst the travels necessitated by a military career. In 1957, they welcomed their first daughter, Laura, in Mississippi. In 1960 their son Boyd was born in California, then in Florida came son John in 1961 and daughter Jenna in 1963.

Meanwhile, Russ pursued his college education with Navy support. He earned his BS degree at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS in 1958 with honors, and medaled as top student in physics. Russ received his MSEE degree in Engineering Electronics in 1961 from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, also with honors.

In the following decade, Russ' naval career soared. He directed operations for Fleet Air Wing ELEVEN from Puerto Rico during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. In 1964-66, he was Executive and Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron TEN in Brunswick, ME, making the first deployment of P-3 Orion aircraft to Iceland, where his squadron hunted Soviet subs in the North Atlantic. In 1966-67, he was Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron THIRTY in Maryland, the Atlantic Fleet's crew training squadron for P-3 Orion aircraft. In 1968, Russ received Advance Promotion to the rank of Captain, USN. His final assignment in the Navy was as Branch Director of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Project in Washington, DC.

In 1970, Russ retired from the Navy, having reached the rank of Captain (O-6) and amassed 20,000 flight hours in various aircraft in areas stretching from the southwest Pacific Ocean to the Northeast Atlantic. For over a decade in his second career, Russ was Chief Scientist for Interstate Electronics Corporation (IEC) in Anaheim, CA.

Meanwhile, after his divorce in Maryland, Russ had moved with the children to La Habra Heights, CA, where he met and married Carole Jeanne Hedges in 1973. Russ transformed the home they established in sunny Southern California into an organic farm, producing fruits and vegetables that nourished the family and imbued all four children with a lifelong love of healthy, whole food. He converted the property's horse barn into a shop where Russ honed his woodworking skills and made furniture that would become heirlooms.

He continued his education in parallel, and received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Catholic University in 1981. Then in 1983, Russ co-founded Enigmatics, Inc. to become an independent consultant and subject-matter expert for both private and governmental organizations. In 2008, he was awarded the Bronze Medal by the CIA for "Outstanding Contributions."

In 1993, while travelling around the West, Carole and Russ found their future paradise in New Harmony, UT. There they built a compound with a master home, guest home, RV "hangar," offices, and of course, a workshop and a garden. This new homestead became the focal point of family holidays and reunions over the next two decades, where an expanding family from all over the country would converge for celebrations with great food and fun and games, with Russ as happy ringleader.

Ever desirous of flying, Russ decided to return to the skies and obtained a civilian flying license in his late 70s. With Carole as his copilot, he barnstormed all around the country giving flights to kids, grandkids and friends, becoming a flight instructor and member of the United Flying Octogenarians (UFOs). After purchasing one plane, he and Carole set out to build another themselves from a kit! The completed plane became a source of excitement for visitors to New Harmony who were invited to ride as passengers.

By the time of his 90th birthday in 2018, Russ and Carole had moved to St. George, UT. His grand project for that occasion was to produce a play, based on a poem by Robert W. Service that he remembered from high school. Russ' children, spouses, grandchildren were enlisted as producers, directors and actors, and the play was performed with great hilarity for family and friends.

Carole, Russ' beloved partner of over 50 years, passed away in March 2023. By then, Russ resided at the Retreat at Sunriver, where he enjoyed riding his scooters, reading, television (including the Great Courses), and regular visits and Zoom sessions with the family. He recently had prepared a mathematics paper for publication, had a "hangar" built for his sporty scooter, and started a refresher course on ham radio.

Only a very aggressive cancer could conquer the unsinkable Russ Roberts. On May 17, 2025, Russ passed away peacefully at age 97, surrounded by his children. He is survived by his four children: Laura, Boyd, John and Jenna; six grandchildren: Sheila McKeehan, Debbie Connor, Ashley Lane, Clark Roberts, Mackenzie Roberts, and Skye Roberts; nine great grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren.

Our family is grateful to local friends and fans of Russ who visited and reminisced with us on June 1, 2025, at the Metcalf Mortuary in St George, and also to those who generously donated to the USO in Russ' memory.

On July 25, 2025, a memorial service with full military honors will be held in San Diego, CA. The ceremony will start at Bravo Family Mortuary at 9 am, then proceed to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on the Naval Base at Point Loma, where Russ and Carole will be laid to rest together.

In lieu of sending flowers, donations may be made in memory of Russ to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, at https://diy.lls.org/fundraiser/6498607