Lee-on-the-Solent 'legend' is fondly remembered

Thomas (Russell) Jarvie Urry, 92, will be remembered as something of a “legend” in Lee-on-the-Solent, according to his daughter Jane.

Alongside his brother Paul, who still lives in Fareham, they did everything from finding treasure off Lee pier, building not one but two speedboats, becoming the UK’s first paragliders and some of the first scuba divers in the country.

Russell was born in a small town in Yorkshire to Charles William Urry and Jessie Russell (Jarvie) Urry. During World War Two the family moved to Lee-on-Solent where Russell and his brother Paul grew up.

The two brothers and their friends enjoyed many adventures such as rebuilding a Jeep out of two surplus war Willys Jeep bodies, building speedboats and salvaging brass from the floor of the Solent to become among the UK’s first SCUBA divers.

Russell began studies at the University of Southampton School of Navigation in 1950, apprenticing to shipping company Furness, Withy in 1951. As a Furness apprentice he traveled all over the world, making port in locations including Chile, Greece, and Cuba.

His first voyage was on the S.S. Pacific Exporter, with service from Manchester through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Coast and Canada. While traveling up the Columbia River to call at Portland, he was so taken with the scenery and tranquility of the river that he decided that if he ever settled, he would like to live in Portland, on the Columbia River.

In 1957 he joined Furness Bermuda Lines as a Third Mate, traveling weekly between New York City and Hamilton, Bermuda, on the S. S. Ocean Monarch and the S. S. Queen of Bermuda. In 1960 he returned to the School of Navigation to obtain his Master’s License, which allowed him to rise to the rank of First Mate/Chief Officer.

Furness shut down operations of its Bermuda Lines in 1966. “Taking her [the Queen of Bermuda] to the breakers” in Scotland was a heartbreaking experience for Captain Urry. He served as Captain of the S.S. Manchester Trader and then moved to London offices for a job in Furness’ Research & Development department.

He met his wife Mary (May) Smith in Bermuda. The couple married in 1968 and emigrated to Portland, Oregon, USA, shortly afterwards, fulfilling his wish from his first voyage up the Columbia. In Portland Russell embarked on a second career as Chief of Operations with Cascade Shipping (now Cascade Marine Agencies), retiring as a vice president in 1998.

With May, he raised daughters Jane, Ruth, and Lorna, instilling in them all a curiosity about the world around them, a love for all things water, and an appreciation for international cuisine.

Russell loved mechanical items large and small, and was known for his ability to repair almost anything. He enjoyed swimming, fishing, and travel, especially in the American West, a treat for someone who grew up on Saturday morning Westerns at the movies.

Russell is survived by his wife May, daughters Jane (Colleen), Ruth (Norman), and Lorna (Robert), and grandchildren Taryn, Tommy, Russell, Sasha, and Naomi in the United States, by his brother Paul (Muriel) in the UK, and by many beloved friends around the world.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made in his memory to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). https://rnli.org