Mr. Scott Murray Maxwell

“Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto. But for Mr. Scott Murray Maxwell, it summarized in every way who he was. He was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around him and always thinking before acting. He was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything he did. He was a friendly person who truly cared about those around him.

As a young boy, Scott was always aware of how others around him felt and this quality served him well. With a deep capacity to tolerate the feelings of others, Scott was generally able to avoid conflicts. It seemed as if Scott was the family member who was always working to keep stress at bay. Preferring a quiet environment where he could concentrate, Scott also had the ability to relate well with his family and friends. Scott was raised with five siblings. He had one older sister, Janet, and four older brothers, Robert, James, Stephen, and John. Scott was constantly involved in activities with his family. Scott and his siblings had the typical rivalries while growing up but they deeply cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years.

Growing up, Scott was one of those children who didn't need to be in the center of a whirlwind of activity. He was content to entertain himself. Scott was never pushy when it came to games and other activities, but rather, he was able to enjoy the pure fun these could bring. In just about everything he did as a child, Scott was intent on pleasing both the adults and the other children around him. Scott took part in a number of activities as a child. He took part in soccer.

Scott enjoyed learning. He always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. Scott was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. He often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, Scott was painstaking and accurate in his efforts. All of these talents culminated in a successful high school career. Scott enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers.

Scott had a good disposition for the challenges of college. He always enjoyed reading, so all of those lengthy required reading assignments seemed to be less of a burden for him. In fact, Scott seemed to absorb and remember everything he read. Not all things came easily to Scott, however, and he found success by being a diligent and accurate person who would dig into a project and work through until it reached its completion. He was very thorough and labored long and hard in order to reach his goals. He completed his culinary degree at George Brown College.

Most folks would say that Scott was shy until they got to know him. Those who were privileged to know him well learned that he was a solid, good friend. Scott was reluctant to generalize about people, and he based his friendships on his personal experiences. Because of this, Scott best trusted those people that he truly knew. He was concerned about how those around him felt, and he always seemed to uncover the positive side of people. He could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to “walk a mile in their shoes,” as the saying goes. The friends that he made, Scott kept. While growing up, some of his childhood friends were David Winter and Jaime Riggs. Later in his adolescent years Tim Boyd and Kris Roseth became his very best friends and this friendship was cherished until his lasting days.

Love can't be defined but must be experienced. That was so true for Scott. On June 24, 1989 Scott married Nelia Condinho at St. John Fisher Roman Catholic Church of Brampton, Ontario. He was totally committed to Nelia and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Scott naturally sensed his spouse's needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. Although Scott disliked conflict, he did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times.

If you gave Scott a deadline, he would meet it. At work, Scott was always on task. Without hesitation, Scott could adhere to any assignment and see it through to its completion. His primary occupation was a Chef. He was employed by several different restaurants during his career. During that time, Scott excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. He was able to quickly grasp concrete ideas and could organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. Scott was good at staying on track and was considerate in listening to what others had to say. In this way, Scott had at true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. He was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

Scott liked to experience things first hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced Scott's choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient worker, Scott preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to work on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were creating wood carvings and wood inlay. He sculpted with paper mache, did tin work, sketched and created art with scratch board. Scott was content to sit quietly alone, enjoying his hobbies all by himself and could often be found just reading about his favorite pastimes.

Due to his excellent organizational skills, Scott was a welcome addition to the professional and community organizations to which he belonged. Scott could bring established, successful methods to the discussion table, along with a generous helping of common sense. Scott was good at making and keeping schedules and never got bogged down in unnecessary details. Throughout his later years, Scott was an active member of the Brampton Visual Arts.

It is said that some people can't see the forest for the trees. Scott was able to focus on each individual tree, tending to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Scott was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of man to whom everyone was drawn. He was thorough and practical. Scott Maxwell was very literal with his words. You always knew where you stood with Scott. He will be missed.