Russell Raymond Little

On June 7, 2023, we lost our beautiful son, Russell Little, to suicide.
Everyone that knew Russell remembers him as one of the most kind, bright, creative, enthusiastic people ever. Always an engineer at heart, he loved building anything from software programs to his own furniture for his house in Madison. He loved baking bread and growing things and making pickles. He loved playing with his dog, Tara, and camping and hiking with his lovely girlfriend Anna. He was appreciated and respected by his engineering team at TDS. He loved playing board games with his friends, and traveled the country to enjoy being with his grandparents and cousins. He brought joy to all who knew him.
We are all struggling to understand how this wonderful, beloved person, who had so much going for him, could have taken his own life. As his mother, even though I knew Russell had suffered times of devastating depression, I naively believed that he was able to manage, and that the life he was building would sustain him. I now believe that he suffered from bipolar swings, as his sister does, and that after a long period of intense happiness, the latent depression hit him hard and robbed him of his own connection to himself and those he loved.
During his last two weeks, we could tell he was lost, and he agreed to be hospitalized at UW-Health in Madison. He started a treatment program there, but on the night of his release from the hospital his illness took him from us.
Russell was loved and respected by many people spanning from his dear childhood friends in Novi, Michigan, to friends from St. Stephen School in Horicon, to his friends at Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam (graduated 2011) and UW-Madison (graduated 2016.)
He is survived by his parents, Beth and Doug Plier, and Doug Little and Jerry Abb; his sister and her husband, Barbara Little and Sam Dickey; his step-brothers, Grant and Keith Lowe; his girlfriend, Anna Schenk and the whole Schenk family; his grandparents, Chuck Shipman, Keith Raney and Christine Nielsen, and too many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins and friends to list here. He will be deeply missed by all, including his dog, Tara and his cat, Qat.
A Russell Little Memorial Fund is being set up through Church Health Services to support Mental Health in the Schools for children who otherwise couldn’t access the services they need. This community-based health service program provides mental health services for children attending Wayland Academy, Waupun Area Schools, Horicon Schools and Beaver Dam Schools, all of which have special meaning to Russell and his family. Contributions can be sent directly to CHS, 115 N Center Street, Beaver Dam, WI 53916. Please indicate that your gift is for the Russell Little Memorial Fund.
A public celebration of Russell’s life will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 14, at the Kimberly Chapel on the campus of Wayland Academy, 101 North University Avenue, Beaver Dam, WI 53916. Virtual attendance through Zoom will be available, and is encouraged if you are not in the area. Please contact Beth Plier for the zoom link at bplier@waupun.k12.wi.us.
A private memorial will be held at a later date at our family cottage near Crivitz.