BELLEFONTAINE — For many, a memorial service Tuesday for Richard and Gladis Russell was a chance to forget the events of the past weeks and remember the way the couple spent the majority of their lives.

Dozens of friends, family and Lions Club members from across the country attended a somber memorial service for the couple, killed last month. Authorities have said Samuel Littleton admitted to killing them and stealing their car shortly after he murdered Tiffany Brown, also of Bellefontaine. The bodies of Richard and Gladis Russell were later found in Tennessee and Georgia, respectively.

Despite the tragedy, many of those on hand Tuesday said the service was really a celebration of the way the couple lived their lives.

Kathleen McColloch-Johnson said Gladis was her father’s cousin. She said the couple was humble, and sacrificed much of their time to help friends and neighbors. While they didn’t have any children of their own, the Russells helped raise the children of a neighbor who needed their help.

McColloch-Johnson said she had never heard that story before Tuesday’s service.

“That was really fun to hear,” she said.

Clark and Miriam VanScyoc knew the Russells through the Lions Club. Richard Russell had served as a district governor for the organization. Lions Club members from across the country attended the service.

“It’s reached all of Ohio,” Miriam VanScyoc said of their story. “It’s clear down to Florida and a lot of other states.”

McColloch-Johnson said the way the Russells lived their lives should be an example to those who attended the ceremony.

“We don’t know what every day is going to bring,” she said.

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