Russell Dimond

Russell Dimond, age 91, formerly of Delton, passed away April 2, 2025 at Thornapple Manor in Hastings, Michigan. Russ was born November 4, 1933 to parents Percy and Florence (DeMott) Dimond. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley (Dudley) Dimond. Also surviving Russ are 7 sons: Steven (Karen), John (Laurel), Daniel (Pamela), Thomas (Jennifer), David, Robert (Sarah), and James (Shannon), 11 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, along with several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, as well as two sisters, Gertrude Dayton and Helen Kappas.

Russ graduated from Hastings High School in 1951. He was in the US Army for two years. Then returned to Barry County and started working in home building, carpentry, and as a machinist. He married Shirley Ann Dudley in 1960.

In 1964 Russ founded Dimond Machinery, a company that specialized in machinery moving and heavy hauling. Throughout the years Russ employed many local residents and trained them in this specialized field of work. He enjoyed welding and learning to operate all sorts of machinery, from metal-working lathes to mills, road graders, bulldozers and cranes. He even flew airplanes. If it had a blade or a bucket, forks or a hook, he made it his goal to learn how to operate it. He was proud of his fleet of trucks and cranes, some of the largest in the country. A local landmark that many will remember is the Michigan 675 loader which was a fixture for many years at Dimond Machinery on M-37. In later years, Russ liked to reminisce about his many large equipment projects that spanned the United States.

On April 25, 1976 Russ was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Along with several of his sons, he enjoyed providing equipment and manpower for building projects of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including the Assembly Hall in Holt, Michigan, as well as the local Kingdom Hall in Hastings.

A memorial for Russ will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 1:00 pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 3550 W M-179 Hwy in Hastings, Michigan. The program will also be available on Zoom; contact any family member for login information. Memorial contributions may be made to the West Hastings Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the wonderful caregivers of Elara Hospice and Thornapple Manor.