Serving the Teesside Business Community | 77
We need to
talk
The Teesside business community was rocked when popular businessman
Russ Devereux took his own life in May 2018. Tees Business co-editor Dave
Allan talks to Catherine Devereux about her husband, who ran the family-
owned Billingham business, Devereux Transport and Distribution.
In Russ’s memory, Catherine has launched the Russ Devereux Headlight Project to deliver
emotional resilience programmes in Teesside schools in the belief that early intervention can
enable children to cope in later life with stressful situations and crisis.
Can you tell us about Russ as a husband
and dad?
He was a gorgeous husband. He was
completely devoted as a dad and the girls
adored him. He was loving, loyal, kind,
smart and modest. He also had a cracking
sense of humour, helped by working in an
office full of truck drivers.
What did running Devereux Transport
mean to Russ?
It was the family business, so it was
part of him. His granddad set it up from
a handcart and Russ had followed in his
dad’s footsteps. He had a duty for it to be
successful and it was a huge responsibility,
given it had grown to the size it had in
recent years and people relied on the
business for their livelihoods.
Can you describe the impact of losing
Russ?
No words can describe the pain that you
feel when you lose somebody who you
love as much as we loved him and who
was such a central part of our family. It is
devastating. I never expected I would be
in this position because Russ was a well-
balanced guy - we had a lovely lifestyle, a
happy marriage, we were really lucky. I will
never get over losing him but this is now
my reality and I know I have to walk a path
without him, as hard as that is to deal with.
Do you feel what happened to Russ
shows why it’s important people are
encouraged to talk when they are
stressed?
Russ was the last person you’d expect
to take his own life because he always
managed stress well. But this one incident
that happened at work and sadly resulted in
someone losing their life had a catastrophic
impact on him, because of the responsibility
he felt. He became ill very quickly. He’d
stopped eating and sleeping properly. We
didn’t realise how poorly he had become
in such a short space of time, a matter of
days. What I really don’t want is for my girls
to feel ashamed that Russ killed himself
because he was very poorly.
“My message would
be to talk about those
things that cause
anxiety or stress so you
can get help. Don’t feel
ashamed to admit you
might not be coping. “
Many of those who’ll read this article will
have stressful situations in their working
lives. Is there a key message you want to
give to them?
My message is especially for men, who
internalise a lot of these things. They don’t
talk like women do. Russ wouldn’t have
picked up the phone to speak to someone.
So my message would be to talk about
those things that cause anxiety or stress
so you can get help. Don’t feel ashamed to
admit you might not be coping.
Despite your grief, were you moved at
just how much affection and respect
there was for Russ from so many people?
I want to thank everyone who attended
his funeral. I was so grateful for the time
they took to be there. I knew he was well
respected but I don’t think he realised. The
support people have given me has helped
in my ongoing recovery, especially Maxine
Alton, a counsellor who was recommended
to me via a friend of funeral director Rob
Crake’s. She helped me through those first
months and saw me at my very worst. In
those early days there was a point when I
thought I couldn’t carry on without him but
we have three girls who bring me such joy
and I knew I had to carry on for them.
Catherine Devereux hopes the tragedy of
her husband Russ taking his own life will
encourage others suffering stress to talk
about their anxieties.
How did you come to decide on the
Headlight Project as a suitable project in
Russ’s memory?
I knew I wanted to do something with the
Philanthropic Foundation because Russ
loved the work they did. Working within an
academy trust, head teachers told me there
was a desperate need for child counselling
but often not the necessary budget. I
couldn’t have done it without the help of
Maxine. To start with, we’re working with
up to ten schools but we’re looking to open
it out to more schools before too long.
To make a donation to the
Russ Devereux Headlight Project,
visit teessidecharity.org.uk