Gravette student's funeral set for Monday

Friday, September 25, 2009

The funeral for a Gravette High School student who died after developing a staph infection and undergoing surgery is set for Monday.

Casey Russell, who was 17, died Wednesday at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. School Superintendent Andrea Kelly says Russell had undergone surgery earlier at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers, where doctors discovered the staph infection. Kelly says Russell never recovered from the anesthesia administered as part of the surgery, and later died at Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

Visitation is set for Sunday afternoon at Bella Vista Funeral Home, with a funeral scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bella Vista. Burial will be in Bethel Cemetery in Gravette.

Students and fans planned to honor Russell - who played on the football team - at Gravette's homecoming Friday night.