i was introduced to scott when i was a week old. he was best friends with my parents, he literally was at our house every single day. he was like a second father to me. he bought me to tie my shoes, helped me learn to ride my bike, taught me to drive (on his lap) he was the best male role model i could ever ask for. i never remember him being angry, upset, yelling, or fighting, always a very happy, loving man. i never remember a birthday that he wasn't at until he got married to diane and started his own life of happiness with her. i called him every birthday in the morning... "uncle scott i'm in the double digit" "uncle scott I'm finally a teenager" whenever he was at our house i used to hide his keys and hat so he couldn't leave. he would look for them for an hour or so then give up and just stay until it was my bed time and my mom would make me find them and give them back, but he always stayed until i was in bed. whenever he came over he would say "melissa if you go clean out my truck you can keep all the change you find, and gum and mints." he always had the same kind of gum, and mints and to this day i always get the same kind and think of him, which is why i put those three items in his coffin.. i would find like ten dollars in change in his truck, he would just throw it all over the place haha. my brother and i used to climb on the chair or couch behind him take his hat and rub his head saying "shine you head for a nickel" he would always respond with "did you say knuckle?, knuckle sandwich?" haha when him and diane lived off of oklahoma in milwaukee i remember playing with their dog reggie and he had the weirdest fears, for instance, whenever you put mint carmex by him he barked like crazy, and they had this elephant statue that also scared him when put close to him. i love him so very much and still can not believe he is gone. it was a happy day and a sad day when he got married to diane because i sort of felt replaced by her because i knew he wouldn't be at our house everyday anymore. but i can not express how happy i am that he found her and they were happy. i wish so much that when they moved up north we didn't make more of an effort to stay in contact. i remember running into him at a mutual friends house and lighting up a cigarette and he scolded me telling me "i was much to pretty to smoke, and its a dirty habit that he never wanted me to pick up." and i immediately put it out. that was the last time i seen him and that was back in probably 2005-2006. last year i had called around to get his phone number and i did get it, i texted him and asked if that was his number and he responded asking who i was and when i told him he immediately called me. we spoke for a couple hours catching up, both promising to meet up once i had my second son. i sent him many pictures of the boys and i and he told me how proud he was and how he knew i was a great mother. i wish we really would have met up and gone out to their house but honestly if that would have happened it would have been that much harder to accept the fact that he is gone. still blows my mind that he's gone. never in my life did i ever expect to get that phone call. and telling my parents was the hardest part. i will always cherish the wonderful memories i shared with uncle scott, but that will never take the pain away. he was closer to me than my "real" uncles. he was such a huge part of my life, and i will always love and miss him. i truly hope that diane keeps in contact with me, and we can stay close because i know thats what uncle scott would have wanted. not a day goes by that i won't think of him and the priceless memories that he shared. you are gone but not forgotten uncle scott. always on my mind and forever in my heart <3 love you always always!