August 8, 1941 ~ December 8, 2020 (age 79)
Russell Leroy Brandenburg, of Harrison, passed away on December 8, 2020 at the age of 79. He was born on August 8, 1941 in Beech Grove, Indiana to the late Donald and Hildreth (nee Sitter) Brandenburg. He met Debra L. Senefeld and they were married on June 24, 1988.
Russ accomplished so much in his 79 years. This year would have been his 44th year to work as a “yellow shirt” or safety patrol for the Indy 500. It also would have been the 68th year in attendance. Russ was a USAC Mechanic and the only American mechanic to work for Jimmy Clark on Team Lotus when he won the Indianapolis 500 in 1965. Russ was a proud Graduate and Alumni of Purdue University 1973, achieving Bachelor’s Degrees in Graphic and Industrial Design. This fit him perfectly because he loved drawing. He created Unique car drawings and had them autographed by drivers such as Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal, Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt Jr., & Carroll Shelby. Russ also enjoyed running: He ran the Columbus Marathon at age 50, Flying Pig Half-Marathon age 70 after beating Lung CA with partial lung removal and numerous Thanksgiving Day 10K races, Riverfest Runs and Cincinnati Mini Heart Marathons.
Russ was a big kid at heart too. He enjoyed coloring, the color blue, playing with the kids, and their toys... like LEGOS and collecting Hot Wheels. He was great at making “Russ Jokes”, making new friends, always making time for others, and spreading cheer wherever he went.
He was the Founder/creator/member since 1993 of the V8- Registry for Corvair enthusiasts, member of CORSA Corvair Society of America, member of the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers.
You could say Russ enjoyed cars, however, it was just a portion of who he was. He was also a wonderful and supporting husband to Debra (nee Senefeld) Brandenburg.
The family will be having formal celebration of life will be planned in the spring, around the time of the Indianapolis 500 Speedway races.