Have learned from Scott Mitchell and his wife Gay, that Scotty Wallace died. His obit was published in the Cherokee Scout, the local news and information service for Cherokee Co, North Carolina.

David Scott Wallace, 74, of Murphy, passed away Friday, October 13, 2023 in Chattanooga. Mr. Wallace was born December 30, 1948, in Lake County, Illinois, the son of Robert and Arva Wallace.
Scott grew up with a love for acting and graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, Goodman School of Drama. Before he graduated, he was doing acting gigs and voice overs—much to the chagrin of his professors who wanted him in class rather than out making money at his craft.
Acting would take him to New York and later Hollywood where he performed in TV and radio commercials and theater productions. While living in both New York and LA, he also got involved in the photography business, working for an ad agency in New York and the LA Weekly News in Los Angeles. This was the beginning of a career in which Scott would spend the next 40 years. In the early 80s Scott returned to Illinois and became the director of photography for Outdoor Marine Corporation.
Over the years, he took many trips south for photo shoots and fell in love with Key West. He finally moved in the early 90s, and worked for the Key West Citizen and as a free-lance photographer. In 1996 he won best picture of the year in the Thomson Newspaper Groups International Competition.
While Scott loved Key West, he despised hurricanes, so in 2006, Murphy became home for Scott, and he became a photojournalist for the Cherokee Scout. The people Scott photographed impacted him and many friendships emerged from his work. He retired from the Scout in 2014, but not from life. He volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Meals on Wheels. He taught photography to high school students and organized a gallery show for several of them in Murphy to show off what they had learned. Scott had a gift; he knew it was from God; therefore, he believed it was to be shared with others.
Scott was an active member at Christ Community Church, and he was a blessing to his church family.
Scott is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Arva, and his brother, Warren. He is survived by many friends from the West Coast to Key West.

Scott, who knew Scotty Wallace as Wally, wrote the following with Gay, to share with Wally's North Carolina friends and "family":

Our friendship began freshman year at Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, Illinois which is a beautiful city on the shores of Lake Michigan. The high school served residents of both Lake Forest and its neighboring village, Lake Bluff. Wally lived in Lake Bluff and I lived in Lake Forest. As I recall, our first classes together were a History and an Art class, and we know where that would ultimately lead him, along with his Drama classes. We didn’t really become friends until Junior year when we discovered we had similar interests… girls, things with wheels (cars and motorcycles), beer and girls. Wally and I became ‘partners’ in the purchase of an old “Woody”. I had $150 and Wally had $150. Our deal was that as I earned money I would pay him back. The interest payment would be that I would pick him up at his house and drive him to school. At the end of each school day if he didn’t have anything and I didn’t have to work we would go ‘Cruising’… gas was cheap back then. Most of the time we made it to school on time but once in a while something would come up and we would be late (the advantage of having an old car… sorry the car broke down again). One time we got caught buying cokes and candy bars at 8:30 in the morning at a Walgreens two towns away and one of our teachers was in the store. We were told to get to school NOW or we would be sent to the Dean’s office. Could have gotten a speeding ticket on the way back to school but oh the good old 60’s when kids had respect for authority. By the end of Junior year I had paid Wally back but continued to pick him up every morning through Senior year.

We drifted apart after high school, Wally going to college and me working for a year before I started college. Sometime after high school he started working part-time at a BSA motorcycle shop in Waukegan and that set the hook for many motorcycles to come. He was still riding into his early 70’s. Wally also worked at Outboard Marine Company where his father was in the upper levels of the company while he worked in marketing; his dad knew he had an artistic eye for detail but, the corporate world was definitely not where he wanted to be. After OMC he went on his “tour of the country and Canada” in a pick-up truck with a camper and small boat tied to the top. 

We kept in touch but we were following different paths; I married at 21 and had a wife and family of 3 within a short time and Wally was free to explore, find adventure and hone his craft. We’d get postcards from his travels across the country; needless to say, I was a little envious! We would see him when he returned home to visit his family and he loved being with our kids and they loved him. Sadly, our visits were always on Illinois turf… regrettably we never made it to Key West or North Carolina. 

He enjoyed a number of jobs that really tapped into his capabilities: he was an incredible photographer, we are blessed to have several of his works in our home, as well as every Christmas card and letter he sent which was a work of art. He was a teacher/journalist, most recently writing and sharing long essays of all sorts over the last couple of years. We especially loved his recent childhood memories of Christmas.

Though health issues were a challenge for Wally the last several years, we were always there to encourage and support him. He made the most of any situation that was thrown his way and routinely called to keep us up to speed on his health and work. The news of his stroke took us by surprise… he emailed us in detail about his situation and thankfully we were able to speak with him several times before the second stroketook him. 

We take comfort knowing he was well-cared for by his church family, especially Pastor Mike and that he was well-prepared for his journey home. His transformation after becoming a member of Christ Community Church was very evident to us…. He loved all of you and Jesus, His Lord and Savior.

God Bless you dear friend,

Scott & Gay Mitchell

P.S. Did you know he was an extra in the movie GODZILLA???