Warner Scott

Warner H. Scott NORFOLK - Warner Halladay Scott of Norfolk passed away Dec. 1, 2009 in Banner Elk, N.C. Born June 27, 1920 in Lowell, Mich., "Scotty" was the son of Joseph C. Scott and Mabel Gardner Scott. His father passed away in 1929 and Scotty and his brother, Bertram, were raised during the Depression by their mother and grandparents. In spite of the hardships of that era, Scotty always looked back on his childhood with fond memories of a large extended family and happy times with his many friends. In 1939, Scotty joined the U.S. Navy and earned a place of honor as a member of the Greatest Generation. He was trained as a hospital corpsman and his training brought him to the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in 1940. While stationed in Portsmouth, he met the love of his life, Dorothy Wilson Scott, on a blind date. He was drawn to her because of the gardenia she wore in her hair. Dot and Scotty were married Nov. 6, 1941 and were happily married for almost 55 years. Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Scotty volunteered for the Submarine Service. He served on three boats and participated in numerous combat patrols. Toward the end of the war, his sub was on duty in the South China Sea rescuing downed Navy and Army fliers. Scotty was involved in treating a number of wounded fliers and helping them return to safety. Scotty and Dot had three children, Judith Scott Bondi, Samuel Gardner Scott and the late Cheryl Scott Brown. Scotty was a dedicated and loving father. He was always willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary to make sure that his children were provided for and that they were successful in life. More importantly, Scotty made sure that his children knew the importance of faith and a personal relationship with God. Scotty was a lifelong member of the Methodist church and served as a youth group leader and adult Sunday school teacher. Scotty had seven grandchildren, Christiana Bondi, Shane Bondi, Sara Scott Mazurak, Katie Scott Somerville, Emily Scott Beck, Warner Halladay Scott II and Amber Brown. He also had three great- grandchildren, Lily Somerville, Nina Somerville and Weston Halladay Scott. He was never happier than when he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Scotty is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mildred Curling, and numerous nieces and nephews. Following the war, Scotty joined the Postal Service, retiring after a 25-year career. He continued working until he was 75 and earned a second retirement from SunTrust Bank. Scotty loved "tinkering" in his garage working on old cars, bicycles and woodworking projects. He once collected and refurbished more than 50 bicycles that were donated to the Methodist Children's Home in Richmond. However, other than his family, the greatest love in Scotty's life was music. At various times throughout his life, Scotty played the trumpet, piano, organ, clarinet, guitar and harmonica. He also loved to sing and would sing at anytime with anybody. In his later years, he developed a reputation for his rendition of Amazing Grace. He sang it joyfully at his granddaughter Emily's wedding and mournfully at his daughter Cheryl's funeral. Scotty touched everyone he knew with his kindness, his sense of humor and his genuine affection. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends, but will be greeted with joy in heaven by his Savior and his beloved wife and daughter. Scotty's final act was one of unselfishness as he donated his body to the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. A memorial service will be held Dec. 26, 2009 at 11 a.m. at Miles Memorial Methodist Church in Norfolk. The family requests no flowers, but donations may be sent to the American Heart Association.