Jackson Kendig Scott, III

Jackson was born to Jackson K. Scott, Jr. and Anita Mae (Gunther) Scott while his father was serving in the United States Air Force as a pilot. He spent his entire youth living on or near Air Force bases during his father’s 30 year service to his country.

His best memories were of the time when his father was stationed in South Carolina. He and his younger brothers, Randy and Gary, spent a lot of time on Lake Moultrie for water skiing, fishing and, boating. Yearly school trips took them to places like Fort Sumter and the old slave market; important places in the history of the country that were not lost on him. He always remembered fondly the days spent on base at the bowling alley, movie theater, and even the weekly trips for a flat top at the barbershop. His mother kept the family going while his father was away on missions.

Later, his father was transferred to Dover AFB, Delaware and he graduated from Dover AFB High School. He also attended Kent County vocational school at the same time where he learned and was certified in Auto Mechanics. He owned and modified a 1966 Mustang, a car that won many a drag race at the local track and was most definitely his pride and joy. He could never speak of that car without a tear in his eye; he regretted every day after selling it.

Jackson had a passion for baseball and tennis. He went as far as he could go in Little League, always playing the position of catcher. He earned an athletic scholarship to Clemson University but, sadly a tragic accident left him with a badly injured shoulder and put an end to his dream of playing professional baseball.

After college, he worked as an auto mechanic in several different locations but, never felt he was living up to his full potential in that career. Eventually, he got hired at Sea Ray boats and he knew that he was where he needed to be. He tried out many different positions within the company, he worked on engines, he did quality control, he did water testing and, he was a factory representative. That job took him all over the country trouble shooting problems. He ended up in a shop fabricating marine hardware. He was an expert at tube bending and also became very proficient as a welder. Those skills sustained him even after he was laid off from Sea Ray.

When a friend of his told him that his son’s Little League team was in need of a coach, he volunteered his service and those years became some of the best for him. He never had any children of his own but, those players were definitely his to teach and lead. He always looked forward to the next practice or the next game; he was so proud of the boys and girls that he coached.

Jackson had many hobbies: he loved surf fishing, bowling, riding his motorcycle and, taking his boat out on the St. Johns river. In his younger days, he was a proficient water skier, competing and winning many competitions. He was proud of his ability to ski barefoot and perform tricks, something he wanted to try again even at his age! He took up the game of golf but, never mastered it to his satisfaction. Still, he enjoyed golfing in tournaments at the Great Outdoors in Titusville with special friends he met there. He also enjoyed woodworking and home improvement. Whatever he did, he did it with full attention to detail. His favorite tools were a square and a level, everything had to be perfect. His boat and his motorcycle were both restored to better than new condition, right down to the wiring. He cared about how they worked but, also how they looked. His Honda Goldwing trike had a shine you could see for miles and all the bling that he could find. He was not able to finish the project of restoring his 1923 T-Bucket but, it would have been perfect. He took great pride in everything that he loved.

In his personal life, even though he never served in the military himself, he believed in supporting and helping veterans. He was a member of the Sons of the American Legion and the Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He spent many hours participating at those Posts when he was younger and maintained his memberships until the very end.

Jackson was predeceased by his parents and both of his brothers. He leaves behind his wife Karen, his brother Gary’s son Richard, and his brother Randy’s wife Linda along with in-laws and many cousins and friends all around the country. Living the military life made it hard to keep up those relationships but, he valued them all the same.

He will be remembered as someone who worked and played hard, loved to dance, loved music (especially The Beatles and The Rolling Stones!) and fought for what he believed in. Mostly his love of the water (lakes, rivers, oceans) was his guiding force. (He was a Pisces, after all.) He never felt more at peace and where he should be than when he was on, in, or near the water.