Scott Roger Bleiler was born in Rochester, MI on March 21, 1976. The youngest of three children, Scott was endlessly teased by two older sisters and found refuge in his imaginary friend. . .and the infinite possibility of Legos. He lived the first 20 years of his life on his feet, and the next 22 years of his life in a wheelchair, following a spinal cord injury on August 20,1996. Scott lived life on his own terms and with his own timing from the minute he appeared in
the labor room just as the doctor and his father arrived. He was fiercely independent, but also the most loving and sensitive person you could ever meet. He was the first one to offer a compliment to his mother on a new dress or give her a hug and say "I love you." Scott REALLY loved physics and recently told his mom that getting his degree and the camaraderie he felt with his fellow students were the happiest and most thrilling days of his life. After dropping out of high school ("I know how to do the math problem, why do I have to do all of them???") and receiving his GED prior to his injury, Scott defied the notion of being “disabled” by deciding to go to college to earn a Bachelor of Science in Physics. In addition to his incredible mind (he occasionally corrected the formulas that his physics instructors wrote on
the board) and steadfast patience (entering every letter on his college papers on the computer individually with a pencil in his "good" hand) Scott modeled grit, determination, and grace. Scott designed a "machine" in his head that he thought would produce more energy than it consumed, and we tried to build it. We're pretty sure the failure of it to live up to his expectations was more our fault than his. On December 17, Scott was preparing for another of the several procedures he had to endure as a quadriplegic. He wanted to take a nap prior to the bus ride to the hospital, went to sleep and didn’t wake up. True to his nature, Scott continued to honor his own timing (ready or not) and departed as unexpectedly as he had arrived 42 years earlier.To those who knew him, his initial coming and final going are not surprising. His birth was the first day of spring, his departure was a little hasty but three days before the shortest day of the year. That timing coincided with the Christmas comet's closest proximity to earth in several centuries past or future. Perhaps Scott's physics-minded molecules were drawn to the ride out. Scott is survived by his mother Judy Strickler (Tim), his father Roger Bleiler (LuAnne), sisters Eli Zemper (Drew), Heidi Keller (Kris), stepbrother Eric Strickler, stepsister Erin Rozek, and
stepbrother Sean Kincaid. He is also survived by a large extended family and close friends who adored his sense of humor and his keen intellect.
A visitation is planned for December 30, 2018 from 1:00-3:00pm at Reyers North Valley Chapel, 2815 Fuller Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505. A private funeral service for the family will be held at a later time. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be directed to the Scott Bleiler Physics Memorial Endowed Scholarship- www.gvsu.edu/giving/bleiler.
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