Earl Russell Ottey Jr.

SALISBURY— Earl Russell Ottey Jr. of North Falmouth, Mass., died July 19, 2010, ending a battle with cancer.

Known as Russ, he was born in Quincy, Ill., in 1932 to Mary (Miller) and Earl Russell Ottey  Sr., who were longtime residents of Noble Horizons.

After attending schools in the Lakeville area, Russ enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as a career flight engineer.

He was married to Joyce (Aakjar) of Sharon, who died in 1967 along with their son, Timothy.

Russ is survived by his son, Earl Russell Ottey III and his wife, Joyce, and their two children, Jeffrey and Tracy Ottey, all of Santa Clara, Calif.; his sister, Marcia Raushenbush of Cincinnati, Ohio; and his brother, Mark Ottey of Kalispell, Mont.; and many nieces and nephews.

His many friends will remember him not only as one who loved conversation with everyone he met, but for his dedication to preserving and enjoying the outdoors.

He was a Boy Scout leader and a founder of Troop 38 in North Falmouth; a former president of the Southeast Massachusetts Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club; a supporter of the Plymouth County Woodlands Trust, the Bourne Conservation Trust and the 300 Committee of Falmouth, as well as the Green Mountain Club and the Appalachian Conservancy.

He hiked the 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail, sailed his boat, Winter Dream, solo from Buzzards Bay to Florida, canoed rivers in New England and Canada, rafted in Nepal and hiked in Asia and the British Isles.

A celebration of his life was held Aug. 29 in Pocasset, Mass. Memorial donations in his honor may be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, PO Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-9988.