Christopher Bryan Russell
June 18, 1975 ~ January 17, 2026
Christopher Bryan Russell, 50, passed away surrounded by love, leaving behind a legacy of creativity, passion, and a spirit that never stopped fighting. Born with a bright mind and an even brighter heart, Chris lived life with a rare blend of determination and free-spirited beauty.
Chris graduated from the University of Georgia and began his career at Turner Broadcasting, where he worked for eight years. He later discovered his true calling in home building and renovations. As a general contractor, he poured his creativity into every project he touched, transforming spaces with vision, craftsmanship, and an artist’s eye.
A true lover of life’s simple joys, Chris found happiness in music, painting, nurturing his plants, and spending time with his beloved dogs, Wylie and Lola.
Chris saw the good in people, even when others couldn’t. His heart was huge, his spirit resilient, and his kindness endless. He fought through challenges with courage, yet he carried the soul of a free spirit—gentle, creative, and full of light.
Chris is survived by his father, Donald Russell; his mother, Deborah Barton; his bonus father, Barry Barton; his brother, Don Russell (Karen) his bonus sisters, Sarah Corr (Cameron) and Rebecca Krueger (Kent); his nephew, Chase Russell; and his nieces, Taylor and Hannah Russell. He is also survived by his beloved grandparents, Macon Sr and Nell Perry and an uncle he had a special relationship with, Macon Perry Jr., who was always there for advice, especially when it came to home building.
He leaves behind a family who loved him dearly and friends who will forever feel the loss of his presence.
Flowers for Mr. Russell's service can be purchased on this website or consider donating to The ASPCA in Chris's honor.
Southern Cremations & Funerals at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park (770-919-7100) is honored to serve the Russell/Barton family in their time of bereavement.
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May the sweet memories of the love and light Chris brought into the world be remembered into eternity.
Chris- rest in peace my man- even though its been a while, Ill never forget our carefree and crazy early days!
Praying for you all and the coming days. We love you so much. Josh and Deandra
Debbie, Barry and Donnie may your sweet memories of Chris stay close in your heart and reflected on every day until you all are together again. My love and prayers to you all as you go through the days ahead. I loved my sweet great nephew and will always remember how sweet he was and how much he loved his family. Much love and many prayers to you all.
Aunt Brenda and Max
Prayers for your family during the coming days. Comfort and strength. God’s arms around you. With our love and thoughts
Debbie and Barry, my heart goes out to you during this difficult time. Sending love and prayers,
To our kind-hearted & loving nephew, Chris, that we will greatly miss! We love you! Macon, Leah & Laci
To our youngest grandson that we love dearly ! We will miss you!Love, PAPA & MEMAW
Were saddened by the loss of our uncle and send our love to everyone who knew and cared for him. You will always have a special place in our hearts!
Rest in heavenly peace Chris! Sorry to reach the end of our time together but I know we will see you again one day.
Grief is now but happy memories are forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this troubling time. Chris will be remembered always.
With all my love and deepest sympathy.
Dear Deb, on behalf of the E@S team, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to you and your family for the loss of your beloved son,, Chris.
In the course of time, may I once again day be accompanied by your reserved presence and truly genuine and deeply creative soul. Your free spirit will be missed. Rest in peace, Chris.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Love to all! Linda, Johnny, Leslie, Deborah, Kip, Carol, Jennifer snd Rodney
Sending our love, thoughts and prayers to you all. Rest In Peace Cousin Chris.
To remember Chris since his move to his after life with God. Know that you were so loved by those in your life. Look out for your kind loving mom.
Dear Chris, these trees will grow in your memory & honor your life for always. Am so inspired by how much your Mama loves you, stay close to her. Cath
I’m going to miss our long walks and watching LoLa drag you through the woods.
Our talks about life and the time sitting in the swing talking about your wonderful mom. Our time together here may be over but I will always have our memories.
Love you little BRAT 🤪
Barry
With all of our love and prayers Max and Brenda, Stephanie, Traci, Robbie and families
In loving memory of Christopher!!
I will miss our long walks at the mountain watching Lola drag you. Sitting in this swing talking about life and solving the world’s problems. I’m going to miss your help with all of my projects. Rest in peace my son.
Barry
Our deepest sympathyFor your loss.Love and hugFriends og Bill
Debra Kay and Barry: sending our deepest sympathies and so much love your way. Prayers for comfort, strength, and peace are being prayed over you all!
A heart of gold and a rare and kind soul
In Chris’s memory. My deepest condolences to his loved ones. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
May your precious memories of Chris heal your broken heart and bring you peace. Sending our heartfelt condolences and love.
Steve and Junan
Our heartfelt prayers are with all of you. Much love and many hugs, Scott & Mary Ann Ellis
I’m holding you close in my heart. I can’t imagine the pain you’re carrying, buy I’m here for you in any way you need. Love, Pat McKool
I met Chris when he was 20-something and I was 40-something. I was a video producer and he was a talented editor. I liked him immediately. He had a glimmer in his eyes, a spark in his personality, a great laugh and a warm smile — and we worked together often. When he moved on to other things, we remained friends, but saw each other less and less frequently as the years went by. I am deeply saddened by this news, and wish I had reached out more often. He had a kind heart, a good soul, and will be missed.
Chris may you rest in peace in the arms of Jesus. I will never forget your sweet and beautiful heart. And that beautiful smile. You were always so kind. Debbie he is in heaven now and you will one day hold him in your arms but for now always hold him in your heart. You and Barry made him so happy. Love you cousin Chris
Planting trees to grow in honor of Chris’ legacy and deep love of his beloved mom and family. Love you and praying for you dear Deb. xo, Katie
Chris was someone I loved, and although we became brother and sister later in life, I will always be grateful for the time we shared and the bond we formed. He loved deeply and meant more to me than words can fully capture. While his passing brings sadness, I hope his memory is held with grace and gentleness, and with appreciation for the connection we were fortunate to have. I find comfort in knowing he is at peace, surrounded by God’s grace, and carried with us in the quiet ways that matter most.
Dear Deb and family,
I miss you Chris, already!! Chris was a whirlwind of warmth and wonder—always laughing, always dreaming big. His hands built and repaired homes, but his heart built memories that last forever. He was a total trickster and fun loving free spirit! He chased freedom with that bright mind and carefree grin, touching everyone he met!! He was a servant that would sneak away from the party to do all of the dishes while everyone else was talking and having fun. We’ll miss him deeply, yet hold tight to the love he shared. Rest in peace my brother.
With all our love,.
Cam
You were such a fun stepbrother always ready to get up and go, chasing the next adventure or boarding a new roller coaster without a second thought. You weren’t scared of anything, something I truly envied, and there was truly no one else like you. One of a kind in every way. You loved getting a rise out of people, pulling pranks, and keeping everyone on their toes, that mischievous smile is something I’ll hold in my heart. I can see it every time I think about you.
Beneath all of that was a deep, unwavering love for your family. You adored your mom and would have done just about anything for her. We shared a love for plants, animals, and art, and I’ll always treasure those connections. I still think about the unique, one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts you gave me over the years, you were always thoughtful that way.
I will miss you more than words can say. I find comfort knowing you’re reunited with Wiley now. Until we meet again. 💛 Sarah
My heartfelt condolences to the family.
With our deepest sympathy, we are holding you and your family in prayer.We love you, Michael & Kristin
Our prayers and love are with everyone during this difficult time. Holding onto the memories over the years at Christmas and our many Perry events.
May these trees represent the immense love that Deb and family will always have for Chris. My deepest condolences, Maria Esther Ramirez
Christopher, I miss you immensely, my precious baby boy. I was in the delivery room when you were born June 18 of 1975 and I remember your mother letting me know: “I told you our baby was a boy.” I was so proud of you then, and grateful to say you had my heart from the very beginning. You and I celebrated your birthday and my Father’s Day at the same time every year for many years and was typically the highlight of my year. We often went bowling and I wish now that I had let you beat me. If I remember correctly, I beat you by one pin the last time we played. Taking you to the doctor for close to 10 years, because you had a rare muscle disease, was a privilege as you recovered due to the healing of God and the medication which put your disease into remission. I love you so much and I always will. Our last communication, which was usually your preference of texting, is very precious to me. The time was near your 50th birthday June of last year 2025, as I invited you to come visit with me and stay with me for a little while, so I could fix you a meal and we could hang out like the good old days in East Atlanta.
Our deepest sympathies to you and your family during this difficult time. May you find peace and comfort in the Lord.
My heart goes out to you during this difficult time. Praying that God will surround you with His peace and comfort that passes all understanding.
We Love You and you are in our thoughts and prayers.Bobby & Tina Perry (Krista & Kaylee), Sue & Angie and family.
With heartfelt sympathy during this difficult time. You and the family are in our prayers. Ray and the team at Cerner Capital.
My deepest condolences to Deb and the entire family. Please know that you are loved and you are lifted up in prayer during this time and beyond.
So sorry for your loss. Praying for the family.
Chris – I know you from the film scene and always thought you were one of the kindest, most fun people on the scene. I loved your sense of humor and your enthusiasm. I’m shocked and saddened to hear the news of your passing and my thoughts are with your family at this time of sadness.
Be well, my friend. You will be missed.
Dear Chris,
In your final moments, you said, “Just love.”
Those words say everything about who you were and what mattered most to you. I will carry your message with me always.
Until we meet again.
Just love.
Love always,
Don aka Donnie
Chris, you went after life with everything you had, little bro. You had a way. A way of making people look at life differently. A way of making people laugh. A way of driving the people who love you crazy (your Mom). And a way to push the limits.
I love you and miss you, pal. Our Christmas’ won’t be the same without you and the puppies here and there will forever be a hole in our hearts.
Love you and I’m gonna miss you big dawg!
My dear Debbie: My heart is breaking for you. After our Veronica went to heaven, grief takes on a whole new meaning when its your child. Chris was a precious soul. You guys moved to GA from NC when Chris was a little fellow but whenever yal would visit .. it was just like we saw you yesterday. He was always ready to give us a hug with that smile of his. Our Veronica reminded us of Chris with their free spirit and always willing to help anyone. Status didn’t make any difference to them. The days ahead will be difficult as you try to adjust without your precious son. The verse that became my source of strength is Psalm 61:2-3 “….when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou has been a shelter for me, and a strong tower…” We may never understand “why” on this side of heaven, but keep walking and keep trusting in your heavenly Father.
Love you my dear friend. Rhonda (Ken) McCormick
Chris was the kindest young man. Always had a hug for me. He was always smiling. He will be remembered as being kindhearted. Always thinking of the good in everyone. He will be missed but never ever forgotten. ❤️❤️