Obituary
Russell F. Cauley, III, age 71, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA, Phoenix, AZ and Tampa, FL, died unexpectedly on Saturday, June 19, 2021. He was a beloved husband of J. Patricia (Palmer) Cauley for 49 years; proud father of Christal (Brian) Trlak of Brandon, Russell F. Cauley of Brandon; and Stephen (Heather) Cauley of Phoenix, AZ; fun loving grandfather of three lovely granddaughters; wild and crazy brother of Peg Kissell, David (Holly) Cauley, Sr. Diane Cauley, CSJ, Richard Cauley, Mary Lou (Randy) Shallue, and Maureen (Dave) Chismar; brother-in-law to Trey Palmer, John Palmer, Zach Palmer and Mary (John) Visco; and many aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He will also be greatly missed by many cousins and friends.
He was the founder and CEO of three companies in Arizona — Sunstate Land Service LLC, Data Mapping Solutions, and Geospatial Analytics Inc. He was awarded a government contract in 2005 to use the capabilities of all three companies to build a software technology as a foundation for a national GPS system. This was the fulfillment of his lifelong goal of becoming a successful and admired businessman.
A Celebration of Life for Russell will be held on July 10, 2021, at Southshore Falls HOA Clubhouse 5831 Cascade Falls Drive, Apollo Beach, FL at 11:00 AM. Family and friends are invited to gather for lunch and to share in the memory of Russell.
In Lieu of flowers please make donations to: Immanuel Lutheran School at 2913 John Moore Road, Brandon, FL 33511.
This link is to the Album of photos.
This is the Service and the Celebration pictures and videos.
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNduGPht3gsUd77Q1JDPHH-HAEzBUJFwJNXYK6CdINs9YH5dl0KgIeD4mKv_B9nGQ?key=Tjgzc3p4ZFF2cmphZWczM19WVDg2Rk5DcXFJd1V3
Russell was one of my dad's (Ed Dinnen) good friends from college days up to the present. I got to meet Russell on a number of occasions and remember his generosity and crass sense of humor. I had a position a SSL for a brief time in 2003, and I earned enough money working for him to travel around the US by car for the first time in my life. Russell and Pat also hosted me in AZ while I was road tripping and my dad and stepmom met me there on their own trip, so we all got to stay together at Russell and Pat's house. Russell took me personally to an opera in Phoenix because he had season tickets. It was "Tosca," and while I don't remember much of the opera itself, I do remember Russell dozing off a number of times and snoring really loudly. I had to elbow him awake a number of times and people all around us looked mortified, but Russell didn't think anything of it! He just seemed to enjoy himself no matter what and did not worry much about what other people thought of him, which was a good lesson for me. I'll always remember Russell for his kindness, generosity, humor, and his way of welcoming people and wanting to include everyone. Thank you, Russell! And peace to Pat, their children and other family and friends.
Always a daddy’s girl!
You will always be in my heart. I will always remember the times I would sit on your lap give you a kiss and you would say yes to anything I asked for. We had many amazing dinner and casino nights. You taught me the machines and how to win at the casino. Our last event at the casino when I won $100 will always be a memory for me.
Love you Dad.
Rest in paradise.
unique joyous generous
peace beloved Russ
Russ, I Hope you have a drink and a laugh with Ron up there, let him know everyone’s doing good, you wild man.
Peace and love.
Our deepest condolences to the family .
I will always remember going to a floor show at a bar in Knoxville and he was supposed to meet us there. Naturally, he was late but that didn't stop him from giving the bouncer some money when he finally arrived and the bouncer walked through the crowd with a table upside down over his head and then 4 chairs. The table went on the dance floor in front of the front row while the female singer watched the bouncer work all the while the bouncer cut across the spotlight on the singer. He had arrived. Meanwhile, all of the people in the audience turned to one another and said who is that a$$---e? Russell knew how to make a memorable entrance.
You will be missed Russell and we will always remember the great times we had. I still tell people your stories.
He had a way of making everyone in his presence laugh and once he figured out how to do it, he didn't stop. He truly was The Life of Every Party.
Russell not only obviously loved his family, but he cared for and touched everyone he met. From the guards at the gate of the community and the servers at the restaurants he patrons to every last member of his friends and family including the dogs. He touched everyone's life and will truly be missed.
I thank him everyday for letting me into his heart and his family and for Stephen. I am very greatful to have been his daughter-in-law and to be a part of his life.
Rest in peace Russell. I know you have everyone in heaven rolling with laughter.
My time working at SLS/DMS molded me and gave me a family. I’m sorry for the family’s loss and my heart is heavy. You all are in my thoughts and I’m sending you all my love!
I love you and Thank you for all the days, months and years we had together.
You taught me so much over this lifetime. One quality that I think goes unspoken sometimes is your non sugar coated way of telling me how it was. You offered your opinion and your advice whether you wanted to or not. I always admired how strong you were and how you never let anything get in your way.
I keep thinking of many moments when you gave me advice with no terms behind it. You helped get to know myself and identify our similarities.
You made me learn to accept myself for who I am and not worry about what other people think. You can't please everyone but I feel like I always tried.
Your radiant smile and one of kind laugh that spread joy to all who knew you. You were always so strong even when others couldn't.
Thank You dad! May God Bless your soul and give you peace.
Family dinner in Phoenix - Always a Russell favorite place to go, you will never be forgotten