Obituary of Ronald Wayne Scott

Ronald Wayne Scott, 85, of Windsor, CO, passed away on January, 26, 2024, after a long battle with heart disease and dementia.

Ron was born on September 17, 1938, to Clarence and Audrey Scott in Los Angeles, CA. He attended Puente Union High School, where he enjoyed running track & cross country, playing clarinet, and tripping a faulty fire alarm to force school evacuations.

He served in the United States Air Force Security Service from 1957 to 1960, spending the majority of his military career in Turkey, where he monitored Soviet missile launches during the Cold War. He loved Turkey, had lifelong friends there, and late in his life made several “Bul Runs” to Istanbul with some of his service buddies.

He finished his military career working with the National Security Agency in Maryland. It was then that he met and married Bessie Marie Scott in 1960. Until the end of his life, Ron would often say he could still remember how she felt in his arms their first dance. Bess left the dance early, saying she had church the next morning. Instead, she slept in, and when her mother returned from church, she handed Bess a program from the service. At the top was written “Bess, where were you? Ron”. That program is still in the family to this day. They were married on October 1, 1960, and moved to the Los Angeles area, eventually settling in Diamond Bar, CA, where they had their only child, Wayne.

Ron had a long career in aerospace. And while he had the privilege of working both on the Saturn rockets that sent the Apollo astronauts to the Moon and on the Space Shuttle program at Vandenburg AFB, he was most proud of the six years he spent in Iran as a Tech Rep for Northrop’s F-5 jet fighter. What he loved most wasn’t so much the aircraft, but working and building close relationships with the Iranians. Whether that was getting to know the Iranian Air Force personnel on base, or sharing tea over a fire with a shepherd out in the country, Ron had a deep love of the Iranian people.

Upon retiring in 2002, Ron and Bess moved to Windsor, CO in order to be closer to their son Wayne and his family. Sadly, their dreams of traveling the world in retirement were hampered by Bess’ poor health. After she passed in 2013, Ron made up for lost time. In addition to the Bul Runs, he took a European river cruise, and traveled the country from coast to coast in his 2015 Tesla Model S P85D

If Bess was the first great love of his life, that Tesla was the second. He. Loved. That. Car. When asked what Bess would have said if he had told her he wanted to buy a car that cost over $100,000, he smiled and said “Not ‘Hell no’, but ‘Expletive expletive Hell no!’”

One of Ron’s favorite pastimes late in life was going to Grimm Brothers Brewhouse where he would sit with his friends at the table reserved for “The Wrecking Crew.” There he would drink a Fearless Youth, snack on contraband Cheetos, and “tell lies with the guys.” When his health became too poor to drive, his caregivers would make sure he got to Grimm’s several times a month.

At the end of 2022 as his health declined, Ron moved in with Wayne and his partner Kimberly. They, with assistance from wonderful dementia specialists and hospice workers, cared for him until his passing. He loved Kim’s cooking, and each night before dinner would exclaim “I haven’t had a bad meal here, yet!” To which Kim would reply “Well, maybe tonight will be the night.” It never was.

Ron is survived by his son Wayne, his grandchildren Samuel and Sara, his sister Diana Ekedal, and nieces Kristen and Teigen.

Ron will be interred with military honors at Fort Logan in Denver, along with his beloved Bessie. Much to his dismay, Fort Logan will not allow them to be buried in his Tesla.

A gathering to remember Ron will be held at Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (815 14th St. SW B100, Loveland, CO) on Wednesday, February 7th, from 2-4pm, which will include a memorial ceremony with full military honors.