Russell Frederick Jorgensen Memorial
Russell Frederick Jorgensen died peacefully on Nov. 4 in his Nevada City home surrounded by his loving family.
He was 92.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 28, at 4 p.m. at St. Canice Center, 236 Reward St., Nevada City.
He was born on June 13, 1917.
Mr. Jorgensen embraced Quaker worship and the way of the Society of Friends at an early age and integrated them into his life’s work, family and community. He was a man with strong convictions, leading a life of integrity and service.
He attended the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, earning a master’s degree in Christian ethics. This, along with a degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin, initiated a life-long career with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) as a fundraiser and then executive director, creating programs for social change.
Mr. Jorgensen participated in AFSC programs in housing integration, prison reform, farm labor and overseas work camps. He helped to open youth hostels in California to all races and to bring down barriers to housing and job discrimination.
At the calling of Martin Luther King Jr., he and his wife, Mary, joined the busloads of Freedom Riders bringing nonviolent intervention to end segregation and discrimination.
Over his lifetime, he participated in the Friends Committee on Legislation in California, the American Civil Liberties Union, Pacifica Radio and KPFA, the Sonoma Peace and Justice Center and the Peace Center of Nevada County.
California’s high Sierra was a favorite family destination; he enjoyed hiking the John Muir Trail and annual family backpacking trips for more than 40 years. Over time, Mr. and Mrs. Jorgensen hiked in the Alps, the Himalayas and the Andes and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya. The mountains also inspired a lifelong hobby of photography.
The Jorgensens helped establish an intentional community in Santa Rosa called Monan’s Rill in 1973. They lived there until they moved to Nevada City to be with their children in 2001.
He is survived by Mary Jorgensen, his wife of more than 68 years; children Eric, Lynne and Paul of Nevada City and Mark of McCall, Idaho; 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.