Born: Friday Oct-13-1950
Died: Monday Apr-07-2025
Funeral: Saturday Apr-19-2025

Morrison Funeral Home
& Crematory
188 S. Hwy 24
Rupert, Idaho 83350
Contact and Directions

Highlites of the Life of Russell Dean Nugent

Russ was born on Friday, October the 13 th , 1950 in Blackfoot, Idaho
to Ronald Lewis Nugent and Zina Alice Kruse Nugent. He was now an
official member of the Spook Club.

He LOVED the outdoors! Whether it was fishing, hunting, camping
or riding his motorcycle this gave him a feeling of freedom!
Every day for breakfast, he would pour himself a glass of milk, get a
diet Pepsi and of course a Raspberry filled donut with powdered sugar.
He was a Four Year Seminary Graduate and served as the Seminary
President his senior year. He graduated from Blackfoot High School in
May of 1968.

Russ attended Ricks College for one semester. He knew this wasn’t
what he wanted for himself and decided that the Army was what he
needed to do. So on April 29, 1969 he enlisted even though he knew that
this meant Vietnam. He was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
He received a Bronze Star and Two Overseas Bars. His Tour of Duty
was from March of 1970 to August of 1971 and was Honorably
Discharged on December 29, 1971.

Now that he was home, he needed to figure out what was next for him
to do. This time he chose Law Enforcement which meant he needed
experience as a Dispatcher in order for him to become an Idaho State
Trooper. He was with them from August of 1972 to March of 1978. In
June of 1976, while off duty he was needed to help with the evacuation
because of the Teton Dam Disaster. He contacted an elderly couple and
told them that they needed to leave NOW! They said that they
appreciated the warning but decided that they were staying. Sometime
later he found the couple in a field.

Russ married June Hobbs in June of 1972 in Blackfoot, they later
divorced. He has a daughter, Cynthia and a son, Vance. Cynthia married
Bill Anderson and they have 4 children. Drew (Eleanor), Brayden,
Makalynn and Lexi. Vance married Michelle Kramer, they have one
son, Luke. Brayden made him a great grandpa with his little girl Thea.
Once again, Russ found himself at another crossroad. This time as a
Security Guard at the I.N.L. He began working for the Department of
Energy from December of 1980 to January of 1983 and changing to
Westinghouse from January of 1983 to July of 1992.

There was a very dark period of time for him. While in Vietnam he
used marijuana and alcohol to escape the horror of war. Russ struggled
with these addictions for 25 years and finally made that very difficult
choice to take control of his life. He realized that the only way to
accomplish that was to go to Rehab. Since 1995, with help of AA
meetings and joining Sober Riders Club he was able to achieve that
commitment.

Russ wanted to help others as he was helped so he went back to
school and graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelor of
Arts in Social Work in May of 2004. He did that for about 10 years.
However, once again he wanted to change directions so in 2013 he
became a Long Haul Trucker. He finally found what he really wanted
and needed and he loved it for 5 years until he retired.
In November of 2006, he and Sandy Wilson Clark re-met. They had
been friends growing up in Blackfoot and attended the 9 th ward. Karen
Nelson, a very good friend of theirs got them back together. (He didn’t
know if he should kiss her or slap her, they both laughed).
However, because it had been 40 years since they saw one another and
feeling somewhat nervous about the whole idea for them to reconnect. It
took several phone calls before they both wanted to actually meet in
person. So on the 11 th they made a Leap of Faith to meet the next day. It
didn’t take much time for either of them to know that their childhood
friendship had developed into LOVE. On January 12, 2007 they were
married in Idaho Falls at the Bonneville County Courthouse. Together
their journey has taken them down many paths of love, happiness,
struggles and heartaches, but their commitment to one another has only
strengthened their marriage each day for 18 years!

His little brother, Blaine passed away in 1963, he was 7. He missed
him every day. His Dad passed away in 2009 and in 2015 his Mom
passed away. His sister, Shirley passed away in 2024. His feeling of
loneliness was intensified knowing that he was the only one left in his
family.

RUSS IS NOW AT PEACE!

An open house honoring the life of Russ will be held from 4:00 pm until 5:30 pm Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 902 Homerun Street Chubbuck, Idaho with Military Honors beginning at 4:00 pm.

Condolences:

We love you! Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Adrianne Miller

Rest in peace with honor and gratitude for your service. Idaho State Veterans Cemetery Blackfoot