Cottonwood, AZ - Janis Sue (Johnson) Russell, 74, died February 13, 2025 at the Best of Europe Assisted Living, in Cottonwood, AZ. She was born November 10, 1950 in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Robert and Nora Johnson. She attended Denver public schools and graduated from Denver South High School in 1969. She attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. She graduated with a BA in Art in 1973. After graduation she went to work at Harsh Hydraulics Print Plant as a Graphic Artist in Eaton, Colorado. This is where Sue and Jonnie's story together begins. Jonnie went to work at Harsh Hydraulics as a Production Welder in December of 1972. They met in the company lunchroom and became good friends. They began going together in 1973.

Sue was into many different forms of art media. When Sue and Jonnie first met, she was into macrame and silversmithing. She was truly talented at silver soldering and fabricating silver jewelry. She could literally sketch or draw anything. Her next venture was in stained glass where she had 7 or 8 large projects. Jonnie convinced Sue to give up the stained glass work out of concern for the effects of lead. From there, Sue took up quilting and making silver beaded jewelry, and designing and hand-sewing Christmas and Halloween calendars from felt. This all took place after 1980, when she moved to Las Vegas to work at the Nevada test site as an Assistant Print Plant Manager. She took the bus to NTS every day for 14 years.

Sue and Jonnie were married in Littleton Colorado in 1983.

The next 13 years, she worked for SAIC, a government contractor for the Department of Energy. Sue and Jonnie lived for a total of 35 years in Las Vegas. She retired from the workforce in 2008, but continued to do some consulting work in graphic arts and printing through 2015. They moved to Cottonwood, AZ, in 2016, where Sue got to put together her dream home. She also finally took up her passion of oil painting

Sue was proceeded in death by her parents, her brothers Jay, Ben, and Oren, all of Colorado. Her survivors include: her husband Jonnie (Cottonwood, AZ), stepson Jonnie Todd Boyles (Dodge City, KS), and other family and many friends.Graveside service will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM at the Ensign Cemetery in Ensign, Kansas. There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Memorials are suggested to the Donor's choice in care of the funeral home. Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guestbook at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.