HJR 117

Celebrating the life of Russell Elliot Wiley.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 16, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2026
WHEREAS, Russell Elliot Wiley, a vibrant member of the Alexandria community, died on November 4, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Russell “Russ” Elliot Wiley spent her early life in Richmond, Bowling Green, and Lynchburg, where she graduated from E.C. Glass High School; and
WHEREAS, Russ Wiley continued her education at the University of Richmond's Westhampton College, then transferred to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee; after asking another student, Russ Davis, to borrow class notes, the couple bonded over sharing the same name and began a relationship that lasted more than five decades; and
WHEREAS, Russ Wiley received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University, then attended a sociology graduate program, and subsequently taught pre-retirement classes at the University of Tennessee at Nashville; and
WHEREAS, in 1979, Russ Wiley and her husband relocated to Alexandria after he accepted a position with the United States Census Bureau; she held several part-time jobs over the years, ultimately becoming manager of a Crown Books location; and
WHEREAS, in later life, Russ Wiley also provided protective care services for her mother and members of her husband's family; and
WHEREAS, Russ Wiley was a longtime member of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, offering her leadership and insights as co-chair of the organization's Labor Caucus; she was an honorary member of the American Federation of Government Employees and an active volunteer with the Northern Virginia Labor Federation; and
WHEREAS, Russ Wiley will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her husband of 53 years, Russ, and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Russell Elliot Wiley; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Russell Elliot Wiley as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.