Dr. Russell Mott II

“Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
-Oscar Wilde

Dr. Russell Mott passed away on July 19, 2017. A Celebration of Life will take place on Sunday, July 23, 2017 at Walnut Ridge Retirement Center, 1701 Campus Drive, Clive, Iowa at 2:30 pm. The family will greet friends a half hour before the service.

On April 18, 1949, Dr. Russell Mott landed on this planet. Of course, he was not yet a Doctor of Psychology. The world would have to wait until 1992 for that to manifest. Many things transpired during these four intervening decades. Things that very clearly created and defined the man people would come to know as dad, brother, uncle, son, brother-in-law, friend, therapist, husband, ex-husband, advocate, lover, musician or, in a couple of cases, many of the above, simultaneously.

Although not born in Oskaloosa, it was here that he grew up and discovered his love for music, and his lifelong passion for serving his fellow man. Russ was an Eagle Scout and was able to attend the annual World Jamboree in Greece at age 14 where he met people from all different walks of life. In 1968 he demonstrated his love for all humanity when he became Mahaska County’s first contentious objector. As a young man living in San Francisco, Russ met Mary Salmi which soon led to the birth of his son, Leon Mott.

He would go on to earn his doctorate in clinical psychology at the Fielding Institute in California. He worked in several clinics in Minnesota including the State Hospital in Brainerd, his own private practice, and the Greater Staples Hospital where he held the position of Director and Clinical Supervisor of the Psychology program.

Russ later moved to Maryland which eventually led to his position at Walter Reed Army Hospital in 2003. This work filled the good doctor with an off-the-charts degree of meaning and joy. He served men and women who experienced & endured the brutality of war. He loved his patients who in turn found in the doctor a rare trust. This trust was made possible for a couple reasons.

With patients, Dr. Mott was always gentle yet honest. He actively listened and compassionately analyzed. He was kind and strong. He recognized how devastating loneliness is especially when the individual comes back from war. It was Russ' special gift-- the gift that keeps on giving-- to be capable of assisting soldiers to feel safe, to feel like someone is actually listening-- not just waiting for their turn to talk. Russ was able to help others to start seeing the universe in ways that would allow them to start seeing their meaningful place in it. In the words of 15th century mystic poet Kabir: “All know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.”

Nothing gave Russ greater joy than helping his patients, and he would go on to receive the Commander’s Coin, one of the highest honors a civilian can receive from the Army, recognizing individual excellence. He was awarded this high honor for outstanding therapy and outstanding teaching of residents.

In his retirement, he moved to Iowa and began working with his fellow residents at Walnut Ridge to hold a weekly movie night with discussions around the implications of aging.

Russ is survived by many friends, family and colleagues, including his son, Leon Mott; Sister, Kristin (Tim) Mease; neice, Lauren Mease; dearest friends, Leon Van Wheelden, Emma Munoz and Craig Muhl; and beloved WRARC colleagues Ellen Apatov, Frank Buresh, and Corey Haben. He was proceeded in death by his parents, Russell Mott Sr. and Carol Smith; cousin, Joey Den Hartog; and kindred spirit, Julie Russell.

In his later years, Russ was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. As a highly intelligent being, he knew something was amiss well before any diagnosis. While he struggled with watching his mind and body deteriorate, he remained hopeful that a cure for Parkinson’s was on the horizon. While this cure did not come in time for Russ, he asked that his brain be donated to the John’s Hopkins Research Center in the hopes that one day soon, a cure would be found. Donations in Russ’ memory can be made to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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