On May 8th, Russell A. Atwood, 90, died in his sleep at home surrounded by his family.  He was the loving husband of Mary (Weilgus) Atwood, and for over 30 years together they owned and operated as pharmacists Atwood Drug Store on North Elm Street in Westfield.  He was the son of George and Fannie Atwood of New Bedford, MA where he was born January 25, 1926. In his youth he loved baseball and played two local semi-professional teams, Morris Twist Drill and Cornell-Dubilier, in New Bedford.  During World War II, he helped sell War Bonds by performing in area USO variety shows.  He served overseas in the Korean War, entering the Army as a Private and rising to Master Sergeant in Company L of the 38th Infantry Regiment with whom he fought in such battles as Bloody Ridge and Heartbreak Ridge.  He was awarded the Silver Star Medal in 1951 for "gallantry in action against an armed enemy."  The official commendation continues "Company L was under attack and the enemy pressure forced the crew to withdraw. Private Atwood, although alone, remained in the vicinity and fiercely fought the enemy, killing three of them with rifle fire and hand grenades, and then held the position against the continued enemy attack until reinforcements arrived.  His tenacious solitary stand in the face of great odds and with complete disregard of his personal safety aided in restoring the situation."  A detail left out of the official commendation was that Russ' rifle jammed, leaving him with five grenades.  These he threw at the advancing enemy along with a few rocks that looked like grenades in the air, effectively "bluffing" the enemy until help arrived. Following his discharge and return to the states, he moved to Springfield and went to work as a radio announcer for WNBH/WFMR, spinning the 45s of Sinatra, Tony Bennett and many others, both on the air and in person at local "sock hops." In the late 1950s he met and married Mary Weilgus, who was working as a pharmacist and encouraged him to go to school in the same field.  He earned his B.S.A. degree from Hampden College of Pharmacy, Willimansett in 1960, and in 1961, Russ and Mary opened Atwood Drug Store.  For over 30 years, they served the surrounding area 365 days a year, open even on holidays for people who needed a prescription filled, an ingredient for their Thanksgiving dinner, or a last-minute Christmas gift.  Russ loved the store and the loyal customers who frequented it, and if his phone rang at 3 A.M. from someone getting out of the emergency room, he got dressed and drove to open the store and fill the prescription they needed.  Russ and Mary retired in 1993. A great fan of golf, he was a member at both Shaker Heights and Oak Ridge Country Clubs. As a parishioner of Holy Trinity, for a quarter-century he served as a weekly lectern for the seven o'clock mass, employing his skills learned as a radio announcer. He is survived by his wife, Mary, his son, Russell L. Atwood, a mystery writer, his daughter, Dr. JoanMarie Lariviere, a pharmacist, Tom Lariviere, his son-in-law, and grandchildren Donald and Sophia.  He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. There are no calling hours. The funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Church, Thursday May 12th at 10 A.M., followed by burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Holy Trinity Church, 335 Elm St. or the Wounded Warrior Project (WoundedWarriorProject.org).

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