Russell Mark Kiel

Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.

- Jennifer

My heart is heavy as I write this in memory of a man so great it’s hard to say in words just how much he touched my heart, and life, and so many others. I considered Russ a dad just as much as my own, as well as Ann a mom, and Lisa a sister. Our family’s were very close, and did vacations, and many things together with so many fond memories. We lived in the same neighborhood; Lisa, my sister, and I would ride our bikes back, and forth between our houses, and had countless sleepovers, and good memories shared together. My mom, and Russ taught together, and were great friends, and colleagues. He was an excellent teacher, and touched many students lives. Russ had the best sense of humor, told stories better then anyone I know, and had the biggest heart. He will be dearly missed by us on this side earth but let us find comfort that he is healed, and has no pain, and is with his Ann again, and all his loved ones who have passed before him. My heart breaks, and aches for Lisa, and Molly. I pray they can find comfort, peace, and strength during this very difficult time. My deepest sympathy to you both. I know he is smiling down from heaven with your mom next to him, with love, and pride for you. Rest In Peace Russ until we meet again.

- Melissa (Crowley) Kober

Mr Kiel was such a good hearted man! He was so willing to help my father out when we needed help with him. He was the teacher every kid wanted and every kid could talk to anytime. Thank you for being that person and such a good friend to us over the years. You will be sorely missed. Lisa and Molly, our heartfelt condolences to you both along with our love and prayers.

- Gloria Toczydlowski

Russ was a dear friend and fellow teacher for many years. His kindness and thoughtfulness for all, and his love for his students will never be forgotten. Prayers and hugs for all of his family.

- Mary Redick

Mr. Kiel was one of my all time favorite teachers, and a personal role model of mine. Some of my fondest memories of school were in his 5th grade class, circa 1997 - 98 at Grandview Elementary. I graduated from Grandville High back in 2005, and moved to the East Coast in 2012, but I never forgot Mr. Kiel's sense of humor, his kind demeanor, and how much he really cared about his students. He trusted his students to express themselves in their own ways and, if those expressions became distracting to others, he was very good at managing that energy in a respectful and holistic way. His style of teaching was very engaging, so even the jokesters in class like me and my friends would still be drawn into paying attention to every lesson. He was one of the only teachers that really taught us about personal responsibility too, especially with Kielsville and our mock checkbooks we would use to buy different prizes, from sitting in a spare teacher's desk with the big filing drawers to being the line leader for the week. It was a great incentive system to use math and personal finance in a real-world-applicated way. One particular story I remember was during silent reading time in his class, I had terrible hiccups, so I went up to his desk while he was grading papers to ask if I could be excused and get a drink of water. As he was looking down at his grade book, he tensed all his muscles, dropped his pen, and snapped his head up at me, screaming "WHAT?!" right in my face. I was terrified, and thought I really upset him, so I ran back to my seat and grabbed my book. The whole class was stunned... he then laughed and asked "So Brian, do you still have your hiccups?". Remarkably, I did not! So, I told him "No, they seem to be gone". He laughed again, and said "You're welcome! Alright class, sorry about the interruption, but we have 10 more minutes of reading time before we move on to the next activity". I still think back on that particular memory with such joy. It was definitely the first time I had seen hiccups getting scared out of someone actually work, and that someone was me! I am certain that Mr. Kiel made a tremendous impact on many of his students, and his kind heart and room-warming laugh will definitely be missed. I know much of who I've become as an adult was because of him. Rest in Peace, Mr. Kiel.

- Brian Sullivan