Russell J Furdell

Born in Buffalo, New York he was raised in Dunkirk, New York. Rusty attended both Cardinal Mindszenty School and Dunkirk High School. He also attended S.U.N.Y. Fredonia. He received both B.S. and M.S. degrees from Buffalo State, graduating Summa Cum Laude with both. In addition, he was a certified Pastry Chef Educator.

He is survived by his partner of almost 40 years, Mary Lee Brannock Lunde, his stepdaughter China Lunde (Alex) Shaw, his granddaughter Nola Shaw, sisters Patty (Tony) Gugino, Kathy (Jim) Greene, Carmella Gallivan, Mary Jane (Mike) Waldorf, and Susan Ann Bonitatibus; brothers, Carmen (Diane) Bonitatibus and Dominic (Wendy) Bonitatibus; sister in-laws Sue (Lyle) Baade and Bebe (Ken) Kushner; numerous nephews and nieces including Jenna (Luke) Pattyson and Kristin (Scott) Johnson and great nieces Vivy, Teagan and Lumen Pattyson. He was predeceased by his adoptive parents Patricia and Russell Furdell, his biological mother, Filomena Bonitatibus and his beloved basset hound, Toulouse.

Rusty had a long history in the food service industry. He owned and operated his own distribution company for grocers and restaurants in the 1970s. He opened a sausage manufacturing business for push carts and restaurants in addition to owning and operating a pushcart, Shashi’s, in the 1980s. He went on to serve as pastry chef at the White Inn in Fredonia and then as quality assurance technician and maple syrup cook for Fredonia’s Red Wing Company. He launched his own successful catering business, Creative Cuisine, in 1992. In the early 2000s, he entered the teaching profession, teaching Culinary Arts at E2CCB BOCES for the next 20 years. In 2009, Rusty was named the New York State ProStart Teacher of the Year. ProStart is a national organization that promotes academic excellence among culinary arts students. In 2012, his book “The Practical Chef’s Reference” was published by Prentice Hall.

Rusty was a loving stepfather, grandfather and uncle. He loved teaching children to cook and to make them elaborate desserts. He was a wonderful storyteller. Discovering his own story was a longtime goal he eventually realized when he found the Bonitatibus family.

Travel was an important part of actualizing his motto, “living well is the best revenge.” Several trips were made to Europe with family to explore museums and restaurants. New Orleans was a favorite destination as well as Montreal and Prince Edward Island for the same reasons. He and Mary Lee had numerous adventures traveling across the country in his Mini Cooper looking for the World’s Largest Ball of Twine or the Spam Museum. When Rusty retired in the spring of 2022 they started visiting the top 10 philharmonic symphonies in North America. In 2024, they branched out and saw The Rolling Stones. He continued his study of eastern and western philosophies, and expanded his interests to include making stained glass, bookbinding, edibles and blown sugar. He self-identified with the quote, “as a chef, an author, and apparently a gypsy,” attributed to Wm. Lawrenceson.

A celebration of his life with family and friends will take place on a future date. Donations may be made to World Central Kitchen or ACLU.