Hyde Park grandmother takes on jet skiing
As Percy Jones Russell approached her eighty-second birthday, COVID-19 and her husband’s health had kept her confined for the past couple of years, and the family felt it was time for her to get out and enjoy herself.
“My sister, Kathy, encouraged our mother to do something totally different for her birthday,” said Terry Russell Roberts. Kathy Russell Walker, Terry’s younger sister, lives in Eatonton, Georgia.
What that may be having yet to be determined, Percy was visiting with Terry, in her Ortega Forest home on the Ortega River. When she saw someone jet ski by, she knew that was it. She was going to jet ski for the first time in her life. They found a place to rent the jet ski and an instructor to help her learn.
“It went great. She had a big smile on her face as they took off,” Terry said. “She’s fun and full of adventure and ready to go.”
“My mother raised a total of six kids – his, hers and ours – with five under one roof at the same time. There are 20 years between my baby sister and me,” said Roberts. “She’s also an artist, mostly in pastels, and even sewed a leisure suit for my dad at one point.”
Percy Russell was known for her cooking as well.
“My father would see a recipe in Bon Appetit and want her to make it. Despite the seemingly never-ending list of ingredients, Russell would take it on and produce a delicious dish.
Dr. Thomas Russell, 89, passed away on September 27, 2020. He had a dentistry clinic at San Juan and Hugh Edwards Drive for more than 35 years. Percy and he were married for 52 years.
Roberts owns Terry’s Kitchen and, with her late husband, Gary, the In River or Ocean nonprofit. Gary, who grew up on Jacksonville’s Westside, also owned South Bank Pharmacy on Atlantic Boulevard.
Terry and her family moved from High Point, N.C., to apartments in the Normandy area, when Terry was in the third grade. They eventually moved to Hyde Grove Acres.
What’s Percy Russell’s next birthday adventure?
“Well, Kathy took on ziplining when she turned 60, so she may encourage mother to take that on when she turns 83,” said Terry.
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