Scott Maurice Patterson (“Scotty”), 59, passed away on March 17, 2023, in Scottsdale, Ariz., shepherded home in the gentle embrace of good St. Patrick. Although his passing was rather sudden and unexpected for us, he left with comfort and peace, surrounded in love and vigil by his sisters, wife, and daughters.
Scott was born on Dec. 1, 1963, in Morristown, N.J., and spent his first few years in Chatham, N.J., with his sisters, Kerri and Amy. After their mother, Dagmar, remarried, the family moved to Essex Fells, N.J., where Scott and his sisters spent their formative years, joined by their stepsisters Jacqi and Kim.
Scotty was a naturally gifted athlete, and had talents in baseball, soccer, and hockey. As a freshman at West Essex High School in North Caldwell, he made the varsity baseball team as a pitcher, and also played varsity hockey throughout high school. During this time, in November of 1981, Scott, Kerri, and Amy’s youngest brother, Christian, was introduced to the family, born to Dagmar and Christian’s father, Tony.
After Scott completed high school in 1982, he and his lifelong friend, Matthew, headed out West to attend college at the University of Arizona in Tucson. While at U of A, both Scotty and Matthew were initiated into the Sigma Nu fraternity, where they made many more lifelong friends. The most pivotal of these new bonds for Scott happened in January 1983, when he met the one true love of his life, Erin. Erin was a Pi Phi sister herself, and the two fell in love quickly and remained together from then on. They shared countless experiences, including visiting beautiful Martha’s Vineyard in the summers, and ultimately growing a family together.
In 1992, Scott and Erin married in Scottsdale, Ariz. Scott and Erin had their first daughter, Lucinda, in 2000, and their second, Camille, in 2002.
As a father, Scott was loyal, and deeply committed to raising his two girls. Coaching young athletes was one of his biggest passions, and from 2006–16, Scotty coached their Little League softball teams, winning many trophies and awards over the years. In typical fatherly fashion, he was also very proud of his Christmas decorations, often making the lofty claim that his decor was the inspiration for the whole neighborhood’s festiveness.
In his professional life, Scott worked in the field of asbestos remediation and structural demolition. For some 38 years he expanded his career in that industry, managing, supporting and developing numerous companies with large-scale projects and operations spanning the U.S. and Canada. He was a master networker in his field, brilliant with sales and marketing, and always an optimist.
Scotty was bold, passionate, caring, and determined. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of professional and college sports statistics, movie quotes, pop culture, and the Grateful Dead, whom he loved nearly as much as his own family, having seen over 200 of their concerts. He could tell a larger-than-life story with such grandiose emphasis and self-deprecating comedic snark that everyone in the room would be in hysterics. Scotty had a deeply interpretive understanding of life, faith, spirituality, and the connection within that we all share.
Our world will never quite be the same without you in it, Scotty, but your spirit and legacy will carry on with us always. Fare you well, fare you well, we love you more than words can tell. Scott is survived by his wife, Erin; children Lucinda and Camille; sisters Kerri Patterson Allen, Amy Patterson Bartelloni (Steven), Jacqueline Dockery, and Kim Dockery; brother Christian Billotto (Becky); and nieces Morgan, Jessica, and Victoria. He is reunited with his mother, Dagmar, and father, Frank.
A memorial Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Saturday, April 22, at 10 am.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his memory to the family’s GoFundMe support page, gofundme.com/f/scott-patterson-family-meorial.
