Kids & Family

Russell Nelson's Legacy: Helping a Fair Havenite's Family After His Death

Nelson died in an accident in early November.

Russell Nelson was raised in Fair Haven.

He was known as an old-time Fair Haven guy. He was well-liked. He hung out at Umberto's, like most kids from his era. He played football. He graduated from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School. He married his sweetheart Charmane "Missy" Johnson. He had a lot of family from Fair Haven and the surrounding area.

He was made of the stuff from which most Fair Havenites are made. And, though he had moved away from the area to Vineland, his Fair Haven roots were anchored — and it showed in the friends he had made and kept throughout his life.

Then, the 43-year-old died suddenly in a Nov. 5 accident, leaving behind a family and many friends with heartfelt memories.

One of those friends, Fair Havenite Deana D'Amelio-Stowman, decided to head up an effort to help the grief-stricken family Nelson left behind. She turned to GoFundMe and launched a fundraising campaign to assist Nelson's family with expenses and support in the wake of his loss.

"This loss is felt far and wide, but none of us can imagine the devastation it has brought to his wife, his children, and his immediate and extended family,"  D'Amelio-Stowman said on the GoFundMe page.

"Not only has this been an emotional nightmare for Charmane and their three children ... Now, not only are Charmane and their children without Russell, but they are without the financial support his hard work brought the family … Charmane, as you probably already guessed, is a very proud and strong woman, and would probably never ask for help..but a group of us (friends of Russell's since kindergarten) decided to ask for her."

And, so they are. So far, the campaign has raised $4,500 and has a goal of $10,000 from 48 people in 23 days.

Did you know Russell Nelson? Tell us about your memories of him and check out the campaign here on www.gofundme.com.

RIP, Russell Nelson.




Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here