Russel Scott Gleason, longtime Yakima Valley orchardist, died Feb. 6.

According to an obituary published in the Yakima Herald-Republic, Russ ran his own farm, managed other farms, ran a packing facility and worked as a crop advisor for apples and pears. He was one of the first pest consultants to implement integrated pest management, and in 1980 he started Son Light Consultants, successfully advising growers in a soft approach to pest control that kept their fruit clean while spending significantly less money per acre on pesticides. He retired from farming in 1998.

According to his family, Russ was well-known for his frugal ways, and he jokingly said that if he were to write his own obituary, it would say: “Hatched, matched, dispatched.”

Russ is survived by his wife, Alene Babcock Gleason; his children: Linda Rutherford (Roy), David Gleason (Babs), Carol Vander Houwen (Ted), and Laura Pruchinsky; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Phyllis Gleason.

A full obituary for Russ Gleason is available at: yakimaherald.com/obituaries/russel-scott-gleason/article_d1537fe0-8c28-11ec-889d-a3ebda64535b.html.

—by Jonelle Mejica