Russel Prestwood Bean
Jan. 17, 1938 – Nov. 8, 2019

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Russel Bean of Clearlake took his last breath peacefully at home on the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, while surrounded by family, after a short battle with cancer.

Russel was born in Napa, California, in 1938 to Allan and Vesta Bean. Most of his youth was spent in Sonoma, California, graduating from Sonoma Valley High School in 1956.

It was there he met his bride-to-be, Adriene Clauson, whom he married on March 12, 1960, after spending two years in the U.S. Navy as a submariner on the USS Bashaw 241 – the last of its class diesel submarine that sank three Japanese merchant ships in World War II. His first tour of duty had him shipping out from Honolulu to Tokyo in 1957. Great stories were born of this period of Russel’s life.

Together Russel and Adriene bore three sons, Erik (1961), Vincent (1964) and Warren (1965), while he kept up the family carpentry business, C.C. Bean and Sons, started by his grandfather, Charles Clifton Bean, who served as mayor of Sonoma in 1940.

As a family of carpenters they built and remodeled much of the town of Sonoma, while his uncle, Talbert Bean, also served as the town’s mayor for a period. Family years were spent primarily in Santa Rosa, with a move to Clearlake after retiring.

He held a standard of excellence and work ethic that was demonstrated with every project he put his hand to, so that all three sons learned early the mantra of, “If you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all.”

While quiet and self-deprecating by nature, he had a wry humor that often caught people off guard, much to his delight.

In addition to carpentry, he loved model trains and boats, fishing, San Francisco 49er football and, in his later years, tinkering with as many computers, phones and gadgets as he could get his hands on.

His favorite sport by far was teasing favors out of his three boys by having them compete for the title of “#1 Son” in any given year.

He is survived by his wife, Adriene Bean; his sons, Erik (Eileen) Bean, Vincent Bean and Warren (Janet) Bean; along with four grandchildren, Kristen, Allan, Joel and Kyle; and three great-grandchildren, Hudson, Holden and Moses.

Russel was a faithful, loving husband, and dedicated father, grandfather and great-grandfather who played as hard as he worked. Under an ornery exterior he hid a very sensitive soul – one we will miss deeply.

The family will observe a graveside service at the Mountain Cemetery in Sonoma on Saturday, Nov. 23. A celebration of life gathering will be held at a date and location to be determined.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Hospice Services of Lake County.