Russell Albert Gilman, 62, of Salem, NH passed away at the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua on Tuesday, Sept. 26th after a four-year battle with cancer.

Russ was born in Lawrence, MA on Nov. 17, 1960 to George V. And Sally (Logan) Gilman. He is survived by his mother, his brother, George Jr. and his nephew, Andrew G. Gilman, all of Salem. He grew up in Salem, NH and graduated from Salem High School. He and his brother, George were in Cub Scouts and played Little League and ice hockey.

Russ was an avid skier, rode dirt and trail bikes and loved to fish. He was a big NASCAR fan and attended races in Loudon and drove to Indianapolis for the Indy 500 and to Bristol Motor Speedway. He loved motor sports and drag racing and was a member of the Deep Woods Extreme four-wheeling club.

He loved his family's Jack Russell terriers, Lilly, Maggie and Abby.

Russ enjoyed gardening. Each spring he carefully selected the seeds and plants and took special pride in his French green beans, silver slicer cucumbers, hot peppers, summer squash and ornamental gourds that he grew for his mother. He defied the New England odds and grew cantaloupes of which he was very proud. He loved to share his garden bounty with his co-workers at DJ Rogers Collision & Service Center in Windham where Russ was a mechanic for 30 years. Previously, he had worked for BTU Engineering in Billerica, MA.

He took pleasure in feeding the many birds in the winter and loved to watch them take turns on the suet feeder outside his living room window. In the summer, the suet feeder was replaced by a hummingbird feeder. Russ did word puzzles and always followed the news.

Sally and her family are very grateful to the many doctors and nurses at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center who cared for Russ in his final days. They were compassionate and caring of Russ and his family.

Visitation will be Wednesday, Oct. 4th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St., Salem, NH. There is no funeral service.