Our uncle Johnny was truly an incredible man who influenced my life (and I know Judy feels the same way). He was the oldest of the 10 children of E. A. and Katherine Scott. Seven of the children lived to adulthood.
I remember the day that Kerri
was born in 1974. It had been a long labor, but I remember the one
thing that I was worried about at that time was not the length of the
labor, but the date that she was born.
I wanted it to
happen before August 30. You see, that was the date in 1969 that my
dear Uncle Johnny died. He meant so much to me and I didn't want the
dates to be the same.
He died unexpectedly of an
aneurysm on August 30, 1969. He had gone to the mountains to go fishing
and had stopped because of some car trouble on the way back. He was
transported to the hospital in Douglas where he lived for a very short
time. He had a terrible pain in his stomach and it turned out to be an
aneurysm.
I still remember the call that we received
in the middle of the night to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
By the time we got there, he was gone. I remember sitting in the living
room with Judy and listening to the phone calls that my mom and Teresa
made to the family to tell them about what had happened. I remember
thinking that I didn't want to hear it one more time.
Growing up, Johnny was always there for us. He was a very talented cake decorator and I can't tell you the number of times we "volunteered" him to make a cake for someone. He had an old fashioned cake decorating box and I was amazed that this man could make such delicate roses and flowers.
One year we had two floats being made in our backyard for homecoming. We used one of Johnny's trucks. He put up chicken wire on both of the floats and was there to help us with whatever needed to be done.
I remember the days that I would get out of school and he would be ready to leave for the mountains as the dams had been stocked. We would drive up to Cave Creek and catch our limit before dark. I loved that time we spent together.
There was nothing that he couldn't do. I remember being up on the roof with him helping him repair something or in his old garage when he was working on something. He always took the time to explain things to me.
When Judy and I saw a pool at a house one day and thought it would be a great idea if he would build one for us, he immediately went up to the house. I am not sure of the timeline, but we had a pool!
That
summer I had worked at the smelter after attending ASU. Johnny was so
proud that I was working there to make money for college. He worked in
the power plant at the smelter. Earlier that month, my mom, Teresa, and
Judy had gone to California for my cousin Jan's wedding. So it was
just Johnny and I for about a week. It was a great time because we were
able to talk and laugh about many things. I knew how proud he was that
I was going to college and that I was working at the smelter.
I
remember sitting in the living room with him at the end of July
watching the landing on the moon when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
Johnny was so excited about this historical event.
That September after he died and I was still working at the
smelter in the human resources department as we didn't go back to college until September. I had to remove
his personnel file after died. It was really hard to do that what should have been a very simple task. I was only 20 years old at the time and
it left a lasting impression on me.
To this day I am so
grateful that I had this wonderful man in my life!!! He was just an
ordinary man who went to work every day and never drew attention to
himself. After he died, we found out about all of the little things
that he had done for a lot of elderly people around Douglas. He would
go to their houses and change light bulbs or fix things for them, but he
never told anyone. It was so touching to find out how many people he
had helped over the years in his kind and gentle way.
Johnny
was my mom's oldest brother. I have written about him before and I
will say again how much he meant to me and to Judy. He was truly a man
of character in every sense of the word.
"Those we love are never really gone as long as their stories are told." I tell my own children and Cameron stories about Johnny as often as I can.
John Bernard Scott
Feb. 5, 1903-Aug. 30, 1969
Feb. 5, 1903-Aug. 30, 1969
From the Dispatch:
Mr. John B. Scott, 66, of 858 14th Street died at 2:25 a.m. Saturday morning in the Douglas Hospital.
Mr. Scott was born February 5, 1903 in Leadville, Colorado to E. A. Scott and Katherine Roughan Scott.
He moved with his family to Douglas in 1912 then to Fresno, California in 1929. He returned to Douglas in 1947 and worked for Phelps Dodge until his death.
A graduate of Douglas High School, he was a member of St. Luke's Catholic Church and the Elks Club.
Survivors include his son Major John Edward Scott and daughter Mrs. Lillian Figgi of Huntington Beach, California, three brothers, Matthew Scott of Phoenix, Thomas Scott, Washington, D.C. and Bill Scott of San Francisco, California, three sisters, Mrs. Dorothy Park of Sacramento, Mrs. Margaret Shannon, and Miss Teresa Scott of 858 14th Street and three grand children.
Rosary will be recited at 8 p.m. Monday at the Brown-Page Chapel with funeral services being held at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday at St. Lukes Church.
From his mass card:
In Memory of
MR. JOHN BERNARD SCOTT
Date of birth
February 5, 1903
Date of Death
August 30, 1969
Time And Place of Services
Rosary, Monday, September 1st at 8:00 p.m
Brown-Page Chapel
Mass, Tuesday, September 2nd at 4:00 p.m.
St. Luke's Church
Priest Officiating
Father Joel Scott, O.F.M
Lector Paul Huber, Jr.
Final Resting Place
Calvary Cemetery
Pallbearers
George Brady
Cy Teague
Warren Johnston
Tom Sanders
Joe Roth
Ralph Durnez
Honorary Pallbearers
Paul Huber, Jr.
Dick Forsythe
Bill Franklin
Julian Vargas
Bob Moore
Marshall Foster
Jim Hill
Marvin Follett
Paul Laux
Frank Ruterman
Bill Whitehad
H.W. Bigelow
Ed Park
Ed Fisher
Hank Figgi
Norman Littrell
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