2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26101879D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 117

Offered February 9, 2026

Celebrating the life of Russell Elliot Wiley.

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Patrons—Bennett-Parker; Senator: Favola

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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.