Gary William Scott, 74, of Bloomington passed away on Monday, February 19, 2024, with his family by his side after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Gary was born in Bloomington on December 20, 1949 to William and Beatrice (Evans) Scott.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Elma Piefer and Nancy Fisher, great granddaughter Willow Burroughs, great grandson Jace Phinney Morton and special nephew Doug Blanchard.
He is survived by his loving wife Linda Scott, four children – Mary Scott Buckley, Angela (Burton) Grusy, Gary Joseph (Chandra) Scott, and Steven Phinney. He is survived by 10 grandchildren Cora Burroughs, Cooper Burroughs, Heaven Scott, Amanda Wainwright, William Gatza, Jacob Scott, Gary Joseph Scott Jr., Courtney Fitch, and Katlyn Phinney and 6 great grandchildren – Aubrey, Fisher, Timmy, Arianna, Trinitey, and Hazel along with extended family.
Gary served in the United States Army as Combat Soldier in Vietnam from 1967-1970, receiving the Purple Heart.
Gary worked at the Eureka Williams factory until its closure and then retired from Illinois State University as a Building Service Worker and later found his calling as the ultimate Uber Driver in Bloomington-Normal, completing nearly 10,000 rides.
Gary enjoyed traveling and made many trips to Las Vegas. He took all his children and grandchildren on trips out west or down south. We may not have realized it at the time but he made memories with each of us, telling stories (some true) and making sure we knew how much he loved us. He was a devoted Yankees fan and made a trip with Linda to Yankee Stadium. He and Linda traveled to many states and went to several Chicago Bulls games when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played.
Gary was an exceptional force – protecting his family with a strong, quiet faith. He was a devoted father and grandfather. He was proud of his family and his family will always be proud of him. His legacy of strength and love lives on in his children, grandchildren, and all of those he loved.
Due to Redbird Arena not being available a service will be held Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 2 pm at East Lawn Funeral Home with a receiving line one hour before the service. Casual attire is appropriate. Military Rights will be accorded after the service. In lieu of flowers please do something nice for yourself or your family in honor Gary.
Obituaries are always printed at no charge.
He sounds like a wonderful man. May his families memories of him comfort them at this very sad time.
Last line states obituaries are printed no charge. I assume that is speaking of Diane.s posts. The cost of obituaries in the Pantagraph is exorbitant and that is why a lot of obituaries are not being printed in Pantagraph. $75 for a picture and $75 for any obituary. Then $1 per every word in the obituary. Runs up to hundreds of dollars for an obituary.