J. Russell "Russ" Kimmel, who ran Kimmel Tire Co. along with his brothers, died Jan. 25 from pancreatic cancer at his Reisterstown, Md., home. He was 84.
John Russell Kimmel was born in Baltimore and raised in Oakenshawe. He attended Calvert Hall College High School and left in 1945 to join his father, Charles Kimmel, who had established the Kimmel Tire Co. in 1938.
From 1954 to 1956, Kimmel served in the Coast Guard, after which he returned to the tire business, where he was joined by two brothers. The men expanded the business to include 45 stores in Maryland, Virginia and several other Mid-Atlantic states. They sold the business in 2003 to Monroe-Matic, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y.
In 1949, Kimmel married Mary Garrity, who died in 1987.
Kimmel enjoyed swimming and served as a member of the board of the Towson YMCA. He also volunteered with Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland.
In 1990, he married Jane Marie Curley.
In addition to his wife, Kimmel is survived by his daughter, Susan Kimmel McCormick; a stepson, Robert Curley; two stepdaughters, Jane Curley Hogge and Janet Curley Menton; two brothers, Frank Kimmel and Charles Kimmel; and 11 grandchildren.
