Scotie transferred to Medford Senior High School our Junior year from Churchill. His parents had divorced and his dad took a job in Medford. He soon befriended a great many of our classmates. He was hard to miss on campus. He loved to play football and baseball and of course loved the parties. He was loud, he enjoyed life. Really though, he was a big softie at heart.
We remained friends since day one of school that year. He asked me out in front of the Library (for those of you who knew him, that was an unlikely place for him). Of course, being new, he didn't know that I had been dating Don for 4 years, so I politely told him no, but said we could be friends. That friendship never waivered and it was one that lasted until the day he died.
He worked locally for a few years after school, first in the mill, then at Pepsi. In 1994, he got a wild hair and decided to move to Montana. He loved the mountains there, the hunting, the fishing, and the people. Around 1998, another wild hair struck and he moved back. (long story short, he had an argument over $20 and left Montana...) He returned to Pepsi to work. He later married and had a son, Christopher. He left his marriage, but his son was with him always. He took him everywhere. Christopher was known as the "little toehead" at Casey Park. He was always with his daddy. And every chance his daddy had, they were at Casey Park "bishin" as Christopher called it. Christopher even encountered a bear with his daddy on a deer hunt.
Scot was diagnosed with Colon cancer at age 37. It had metastasized. He was told he had maybe 18 months to live. The power of high school friendships shone brightly upon this man as his friends made sure everything he needed was taken care of. His best friend Jim Higday and Eric Patterson organized a household of furniture to be delivered to his new home close to the hospital. Cindy, Bruce, Maureen, and others provided a great depth of support. The process was an amazing journey for my children and my family to watch. The bonds of friendship were incredible.
He kept the nurses at Hematology Oncology in stitches. He never lost his sense of humor, or his determination to live. After a courageous 28 month battle, he died in his sleep July 31, 2007. He had a vision a couple of days before he died. Wild mustangs ran thru his home. The hospice nurses asked if we knew what that meant. I figured it was his wild strong spirit ready to be released. His friends held a service at Casey Park. After telling our stories of Scotie, we headed to the river to release message balloons. As we walked down there, my husband had us look up......A bald eagle flew over our celebration of Scot's life. When we arrived at the river, a salmon jumped to greet us. The only thing missing was a nice 4 point buck to appear out of the woodline. He is survived by his parents, his sister, his 2 step sons, and his son.
Linda Partsafas (Guches)
Linda Partsafas (Guches)
Scotie transferred to Medford Senior High School our Junior year from Churchill. His parents had divorced and his dad took a job in Medford. He soon befriended a great many of our classmates. He was hard to miss on campus. He loved to play football and baseball and of course loved the parties. He was loud, he enjoyed life. Really though, he was a big softie at heart.
We remained friends since day one of school that year. He asked me out in front of the Library (for those of you who knew him, that was an unlikely place for him). Of course, being new, he didn't know that I had been dating Don for 4 years, so I politely told him no, but said we could be friends. That friendship never waivered and it was one that lasted until the day he died.
He worked locally for a few years after school, first in the mill, then at Pepsi. In 1994, he got a wild hair and decided to move to Montana. He loved the mountains there, the hunting, the fishing, and the people. Around 1998, another wild hair struck and he moved back. (long story short, he had an argument over $20 and left Montana...) He returned to Pepsi to work. He later married and had a son, Christopher. He left his marriage, but his son was with him always. He took him everywhere. Christopher was known as the "little toehead" at Casey Park. He was always with his daddy. And every chance his daddy had, they were at Casey Park "bishin" as Christopher called it. Christopher even encountered a bear with his daddy on a deer hunt.
Scot was diagnosed with Colon cancer at age 37. It had metastasized. He was told he had maybe 18 months to live. The power of high school friendships shone brightly upon this man as his friends made sure everything he needed was taken care of. His best friend Jim Higday and Eric Patterson organized a household of furniture to be delivered to his new home close to the hospital. Cindy, Bruce, Maureen, and others provided a great depth of support. The process was an amazing journey for my children and my family to watch. The bonds of friendship were incredible.
He kept the nurses at Hematology Oncology in stitches. He never lost his sense of humor, or his determination to live. After a courageous 28 month battle, he died in his sleep July 31, 2007. He had a vision a couple of days before he died. Wild mustangs ran thru his home. The hospice nurses asked if we knew what that meant. I figured it was his wild strong spirit ready to be released. His friends held a service at Casey Park. After telling our stories of Scotie, we headed to the river to release message balloons. As we walked down there, my husband had us look up......A bald eagle flew over our celebration of Scot's life. When we arrived at the river, a salmon jumped to greet us. The only thing missing was a nice 4 point buck to appear out of the woodline. He is survived by his parents, his sister, his 2 step sons, and his son.
RIP my dear friend. I love you and I miss you.
Vicki Lyon (Fawcett)
😢