Russell Smariga

Russell Bruce Smariga, aged 65, passed away on January 5th, 2026. There will be a visitation from 5pm - 7pm on Thursday, January 8th at Lucas Funeral Home in Keller, TX, and memorial services will be held at 11am on Friday, January 9th at Keller United Methodist Church for all who wish to attend.

Russ was born on March 14th, 1960, in Pasadena, TX, to Lillian G. Smariga and Stanley Edward Smariga. From an early age, he was fascinated by air flight and space, an interest ignited by the space race and the 1969 moon landing. This early love led him to join Air Force ROTC at Baylor University, and he was commissioned as an officer into the United States Air Force upon graduation, which he served in for a decade. While in the USAF, he served as a Flight Test Engineer in various programs, including Nevada desert test missions, achieving the rank of Major.

Even before the Air Force, though, Russ was a private pilot - he achieved his solo pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license. He and his wife Linda also owned a Citabria (a 2 seat, single engine aircraft, which they sold upon the birth of their daughter on the grounds that they now needed a third seat). He was passionate about flight and astronomy throughout his life, always interested in the latest developments.

After the Air Force, Russ continued as a flight test engineer for a few years before transitioning to be a private sector systems engineer, followed by a long corporate career. He worked as a Chief IT architect, User Advocate with Sun Microsystems, and as a Deloitte Technology Strategy consultant. In 2020, he traded corporate USA for Main Street USA, becoming a small business owner of pet bar Flower Mound, a dog grooming and washing salon, which brought him great satisfaction. In every arena of life he participated in, he was a consummate leader and mentor, setting a culture of working hard, working well, and being kind to one another.

Russ was also a devout Christian, from joining the Baptist church as a teenager to converting to Methodist when he married Linda. His faith brought him great strength and comfort, and he repaid what he received tenfold, from serving as joint head of the Southwestern United States chapter of Marriage Encounter United Methodist with Linda, serving the Kairos Prison Ministry, participating in many Walks to Emmaus, and being extremely active in Keller UMC, including starting a Sunday school class, Homebuilders III, with Linda, and serving on the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, including as Chair.

He had a great love of life and all it had to offer. When he was younger, his love of the outdoors led him to hiking, climbing, and collecting rocks and minerals in the Western US, and later he served as Cub Scout Master for Pack 1910 and earned his Wood Badge beads. He was an avid photographer since high school, and loved golfing with his brother and friends, sampling interesting beers at his Bibles and Brews gathering on Tuesdays, reading the latest thriller novel, watching a Baylor or Steelers football game, and charting the local constellations with the latest astronomy app.

Russ was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley & Lillian, his brother, Robert A. Webster, and his sister, Mary Hope Rosecrans. He is survived by his loving wife, Linda K. Smariga, his daughter Taylor, his son Trevor, and his sister, Melanie Gideon. He will be dearly missed.