Kith and Kin of Callaway: Angela Russell

Angela Russell and her son Jonah — who wasn't sure about having his picture taken — take a break after playing in the bubbles at city hall during the ninth annual Big Bubble Blowout. Russell is a stay-at-home mother and former teacher.
Angela Russell and her son Jonah — who wasn't sure about having his picture taken — take a break after playing in the bubbles at city hall during the ninth annual Big Bubble Blowout. Russell is a stay-at-home mother and former teacher.

This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. The Fulton Sun takes a moment to have a conversation with someone who is not usually featured in the news, but is just as instrumental in making our community the strong and beautiful place we all know and love.

Angela Russell is a stay-at-home mom and former teacher living in Fulton. She moved to town when she was 18 to attend Westminster College. During that time, she met her husband, Tanner Russell, who lived in the same apartment building as she did. Russell said Tanner shouted at her and her roommates to ask if they partied - and the rest is history. Russell taught for nine years at area schools.

Q. What was your first job?

A. I worked at a grocery store as a cashier when I was 16.

Q. Who most inspires you (living or dead)?

A. Either my grandpa or Jesus. My grandpa had 12 children and 90-plus grandchildren. He's 91 and he's still up and around every day. He mows his grass and makes toys for his grandchildren in his workshop.

Q. What have you done in life that was most fulfilling?

A. I was a teacher for nine years. I was at New Bloomfield for two years and then at the Missouri School for the Deaf for seven. It wasn't necessarily fulfilling in the ins and outs of every day, but seeing the impact I had on the kids was.

Q. What is something you are proud of that you have been recognized for?

A. I learned sign language on the job and learned it quickly. I told my students I would teach them history if they taught me signing. At the end of the year, one student who hadn't liked me at first came up to me. He told me I was really good at signing.

Q. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

A. I want to do something that helps people, but I'm not sure I'll go back to teaching. That's something I've been thinking a lot about lately.

Q. What profession would you not like?

A. My parents made me work factory jobs as a teen. I was on my feet doing the same thing every day. They both dropped out of school and factory (work) was a way for them to make a living. They made sure I didn't want to do that and wouldn't drop out of school. It was a good lesson for me.

Q. What is something nobody knows about you?

A. I really enjoy singing. I don't do it as much as I used to.

Q.What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?

A. I love the small-town feel. You can walk down the sidewalk and meet someone you know always. But there's also plenty of people you don't know, so you can be anonymous. I know that if I was hurt on the street, there'd be someone there to help me. That's reassuring.