John Arthur Scowcroft

1954 - 2017

John Arthur Scowcroft
August 3, 1954 ~ November 14, 2017
John Arthur Scowcroft passed away in New York City on November 14, 2017, at the age of 63, after a courageous battle with multiple myeloma and AML leukemia.
John, the second of four children, was born on August 3, 1954 to Barbara Marie Caine and John Major Scowcroft in Hammond, IN. He grew up in Old Greenwich, CT and Wilmette, IL, where he graduated from New Trier High School in 1972. He toured Europe as a trumpet player in his school's award-winning jazz band. John was an Eagle Scout and a lifelong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America.
John had a brilliant mind and he never stopped seeking education for himself and for his children. He earned a B.A. in Finance from the University of Utah (1977), and both an M.B.A. (1983) and a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance (1991) from the University of Chicago, his "heaven on earth." In 2006, he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.
John started his career as an equity analyst for the newly formed Wasatch Advisors, painting houses in the summer when the work was slow. After holding various senior roles at Merrill Lynch, Franklin Savings Association, Houlihan Valuation Advisors, Oliver Wyman, Wasatch Advisors, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, he finally landed his dream job in 2015 as the Executive Managing Director and Chief Credit Officer of S&P Global.
John was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a deep understanding of his duty to God. He served a full time LDS mission to Tahiti from 1973-1975, and after that assumed various responsibilities in other congregations including service as Bishop to a single adult ward. As a leader, he took to heart his duty to care for each member of the congregation and was never afraid to voice his respectful, yet unconventional, thoughts. His favorite calling was leading the discussion in the weekly High Priests group meeting. He often came with one question and very few talking points, thus creating an environment where members of the quorum could ask and seek for answers together - a testament to his love of learning.
John had many other interests. He loved and appreciated beautiful music and served on the boards of The Utah Symphony, The Alta Club, and The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. As an avid outdoorsman, nothing beat skiing in the mountains of Utah or riding his bike through Central Park. He was an aficionado of old cars, news and history podcasts, and great books. Due to his father's participation, John was an avid WWII history buff. He shared his interest with all of his children, whether they paid attention or not.
John always put his family first. He was in the midst of his Ph.D. dissertation when he met his wife, Carolee Clawson. They were married in the LDS Salt Lake Temple on September 1, 1989. A devoted father, he was home most nights for dinner, despite the rigorous industry in which he worked. To him, editing a middle-school English paper was even more important than building a statistical model to analyze a bank's economic position. He was a constant, stable presence to his family, and the many others he mentored along the way.
John was a man of faith, honesty and charity, a man who put others' needs before his own. He is survived by Carolee, his beloved wife of 28 years, his children Sylvie, John, James, Celia, and Joseph, and his sisters, Charlene Scowcroft, Barbara Ann Scowcroft, and Sally Scowcroft Rogers. A viewing will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 from 10:00-11:30am at the Mt. Olympus Stake Center, 4176 Adonis Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, followed by funeral services at Noon. Interment in the Larkin Sunset Lawn Cemetery will follow. Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made to the John A. Scowcroft Scholarship at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business (umarket.utah.edu/ugive/index.php?gift_id= 3064) or to Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (www.ririewoodbury.com).