Kimberly Dawn Russell Tolbert Obituary (1959 - 2021)

Born Aug 19, 1959, Kimberly Dawn Russell Tolbert attended Righetti High School in Santa Maria, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Kimberly Dawn Russell Tolbert.

Graduation Year	Class of 1977
Date of Birth	Aug 19, 1959
Date of Passing	Jun 09, 2021
About	Obituary If you lived in Orcutt, CA at all in the 70s you will remember a young girl riding her strawberry roan horse Chico down Clark Avenue headed to Lake Marie and back, and most of the time she rode bareback. Kim was born in Akron, Ohio, and moved to Santa Maria, CA shortly after her birth. Growing up, Kim attended Pine Grove Elementary, Orcutt Junior High School, Righetti High School (1977), and Allan Hancock College. Kim was an amazing sportsman as a child. She could shoot any target with a rifle, always catch the largest fish, and make the best cookies for camping out. Kim was an excellent swimmer with her siblings, on the Santa Maria Swim Team, where her dad Wink Russell was the coach. She was also a long-time member of the La Graciosa 4-H Club, where she found a true love for animals and agriculture. She bought, broke, and trained her horse Chico at 16 years of age, and spent hundreds of hours in the saddle. Kim got her first job at Jacks Restaurant in Old Town Orcutt, as a server. She loved the restaurant and service industry and was well known for being your waitress at Pearl East and the Swiss Chalet. When she was 26, Kim fell in love with RL Tolbert, a Hollywood Stuntman, and Horse Trainer. They married in June of 1986, and she moved to RLs ranch in Canyon Country, CA. Together they loved traveling on location for the movies, or with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit. They had two children, Elliott, and Tessa. Kim soon became involved in the local 4-H near their home and loved going to animal shows with both of her children, as well as Tessa’s Horse Vaulting events. When RL decided to semi-retire, they moved the family to Vale, Oregon, and began an alfalfa farm with a large goat herd, in addition to their horses and llamas. Kim loved bottle feeding baby goats or collecting a rare exotic duck, or goose of some sort. Fostering every stray animal was her calling. When Tess gave Kim 5 beautiful granddaughters the fun began. She was constantly talking about or thinking of the next craft or baking project. On Halloween, you would find Kim and her granddaughters carving elaborate pumpkins. This was always a favorite time of hers. In her last days Kim was home where she was given amazing care by her husband, guardian, and protector, RL. Kim passed after a long illness on June 9, 2021. She is survived by her husband RL Tolbert of Vale, OR, son Elliott Randall Tolbert (Amber) of Kuna, ID, daughter Tessa Ann Tolbert Osborn (Kyle) of Ontario, OR, granddaughters Mya, Katie, Maci, Daisy, and Bria Osborn all of Ontario, OR, father and stepmother Charles Wink Russell and Barbara Russell, of Vale, OR, mother and stepfather, Antonia Toni Bianchi Brown and Mark Brown, of Santa Maria, CA, siblings, Ka-Cee Russell Vaughan (Patrick), of Valdese, NC, Charles Anthony Russell (Erin), of Templeton, CA, Troi Lynn Russell Hoffman (Norman Matthew) of Orcutt, CA, step siblings, Christy Brown Kelly, Jeff Brown (Chris), Darryl Brown (Delcia), seven nieces and nephews, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and very dear friends. Kim was preceded in death by her grandparents, Theodore Ted and Mary Bianchi of Santa Maria, CA. Charles Chick and Pauline Russell of Akron, OH, and Loretta and Frank Taylor of Beloit, WI.