Merry Christmas  hope you all enjoy your day. Remember the fun times and know he's watching over you all!♡♡♡ Aimee

Although it was hard, the boys and I and the family made it through our first of many more holidays without Scott. It was tough going but we did it with the love and support of our family and friends that touched base throughout the day. Thank you all for that. We couldn't of have done it without all of you. My brother and wife came over and helped decorate the house for Christmas, a holiday that Scott and I hosted for years for the family. That will be another milestone to get through. 

Love you all! 

In 2008, we took the boys to Cancun. This picture is special because Scott really was excited to bring the boys to Chichen Itza to show them the pyramids and ruins. Then they had a special treat of having an "orb" appear over their heads. 

What a fun memory! Our sons threw a New Years party and invited us. We were honored that they wanted us to hang out with their friends. Scott, as you can tell by this picture had such a GREAT time! These are memories that we luckily have to look back on and seeing the smile on Scott's face in this picture brings such joy to my heart. 

If Scott had been blessed with a daughter, I know he would of wanted her to be just as special as my sisters daughter, Christine. He was smitten by her the first time he saw her when she was just a baby. Christine took multiple trips out to Arizona to visit us, as a young girl with her parents and on her own as a young adult. This picture was from one of her summer trips around the 4th of July. We took a drive up to Jerome, AZ to show Christine the quaint little town. 

When I think of my dad, I will remember a loyal, reliable, and hardworking man with a great spirit of generosity. From the moment I was born, my dad sacrificed everything to make sure our family was taken care of. His needs and desires always came second to the needs of his family. This selflessness and generosity extended to everyone in his orbit in the way that he would anticipate their needs and take action to fulfill those needs, all the while, the person being none the wiser. This is the example he set for me, which I will always strive to live up to in his honor.

Another quality I greatly admired was my dad’s capacity to forgive. As a child, I would often think, "Why wouldn't you wish ill will towards those who wronged you?" My dad’s response, "It isn't worth the trouble. Your energy can be spent in more productive ways." As I have aged, life’s experiences have shown me that my dad had it right all along, it is not worth the mental energy to hold grudges, it is much better for the soul to forgive and move forward.

My dad had many interests and passions in this life. I am sure he enthusiastically shared at least one with each person who knew him because that is who he was. I am thankful that he shared several with me, like music, technology, astronomy, storms, and the great beyond. I would like to tell you a bit about our shared interests now.

First, music! As a child, my dad filled our home, and my life, with wonderful music. He always looked forward to family get togethers so he could share his music with everyone. Because of this, I love to learn to play new instruments. It always gave me great joy to play my guitar for him, and see the amazement in his eyes when I would play the songs he loved. As I have aged, life's theme songs he shared with me have followed, and I will have many hours of soundtracks to fill the rest of my years and remind me of him.

Anytime monsoon season came when I was growing up, we would sit out on the patio and hope for good storms. While we waited, we always ended up talking about life. This is when he would impart all his life’s wisdom and give me his best advice. When I grew up and moved out, we would pick up the phone to call each other as soon as a storm rolled in. Each of us would be sitting on our own patios, but still talking to one another as we watched the rain and lightning. Every monsoon season to come will bring me fond memories of my dad.

Another interest that we shared, which some of you may know and some of you may not, was a fascination with the things that went bump in the night and the dancing lights in the sky. We would spend countless hours contemplating the mysteries of the world and trying to find the answers, hoping that one day a profound realization would just emerge from the ether of our collective minds, but usually we just chalked it up to our loved ones, who were already gone from this world, playing games and sending us messages. In fact, just two weeks before he passed, we were celebrating a birthday at my parent’s house. As we lit the candles for the cake, and went to flip the light switch, the lights mysteriously turned off before we got the chance. We later concluded that it was Grandma Jackie lending her helping hand. My dad is learning the answers to those questions as we speak, and I look forward to learn them from him when my time comes. Until then, I will live my life according to a quote befitting my dad’s legacy, “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”

Now, I leave you with the thought of a guardian angel, hovering above us, watching over our lives, ensuring we are all cared for, as I know my dad will be from above, just as he did while on this earth. So next time a light mysteriously turns off just in the nick of time, or your next prayer is answered, just remember that my dad is watching out, letting us know he’s got our backs.

Light the fire pit, fill a glass, crank up the stereo system and enjoy the company of consummate hosts to create some lifetime memories. A gourmet meal is served with a side of healthy debates and viewpoints of the nation, peppered with a passionate perspectives but rarely heated to a boil. A hug and a kiss good bye with a promise to be better at keeping in touch is always dessert.

I have had the pleasure on more than one occasion to be a guest at a Magdalena Drive gathering but they always left a taste of wanting more time together. The face -to-face times were rare due to 2,500 miles of the US between Scott and I. Always gracious, at even the last minute’s notice, Scott, Julie and the boys would always make their East Coast family’s visit a highlight and I will be forever grateful for a few hours this past April.

As the oldest of the Hamilton’s 5 grandkids, I have known Scotty his entire life. The daughters of Artie and George would do their best to get together though challenging when living states apart.Teasing and chaos could ensue when this crew got together especially at Gram & Pap’s home. The famous Batman shirts, designed by my Mom are forever documented on a Kodak paper. Cardboard slides on the hillside, apple throwing and teaching us how to shotgun a can of soda with a finishing nail from Pap’s workbench were a few things on the agenda. A trip to Newhall & Vegas involved mini bikes, lizards and babysitting with hotel elevator rides. AZ trips introduced us to Cool Deck, misters, and 120 degrees.

As childhood quickly slipped away, life took us to adulthood and the real life responsibilities. Julie, Tony and Michael joined the family tree as did my husband and kids. Had we become those in the lyrics of Rush’s “Working Man”? Bet Scotty would’ve loved a dollar for every time someone said “Beam me up.” With maturity, comes life’s challenges of pain and joy, births and deaths and we experienced them all, mostly long distance. Our novella would be titled “The Tale of Two States” (AZ & PA) “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” We became the Gram & Pap with the arrival of our own grandkids, one of the best titles we were given.

Through the years, family was the center of Scott’s life. It was evident in all he did. Mere adjectives cannot capture the true essence of his need to have everyone together, enjoying the moment. I can only hope he is beyond the gaze of his telescope with those family and friends lost. If I could only hear “Hey Cuz.” one more time. (HUGS) to all who love Scott.

So I was the kid that live down the street and spent countless hours with Scott growing up as I played and grew with Tony. As I look back on those times it amazes me how wonderful of a person Scott was. It didn't matter if I was a little kid in elementary school, middle school, high school or beyond, it always amazes me how Scott talked with me and showed me respect and never once belittled me due to my age. That takes a lot of patience and I know for a fact that I could tell that man anything and he'd have my absolute trust and I take his advice as I would my own fathers. You never know how much you love someone until they're gone and it breaks my heart that he was taken so soon but the influences he has had in my life echoes subconsciously and resonates deeper than I ever imagined. Thank you Scott for being so wonderful, being like a second father, and giving unconditional love to a kid that just lived down the street. 

We spend most of our life wanting to grow up and be able to do all the fun things life has in store for us. We are so busy graduating from High School, getting our driver's license, finding that special job that we like to do, getting married, having a family, and keeping our head above water, that we seem to loose our reality when it comes to our family and friends. You hear the sayings "Life is short, don't waste time", "always tell your family that you love them before you leave the home for work", but you always tell yourself internally not to worry that they will be there tomorrow and you can tell them later what ever is on you mind. You see a similar situation develop with your friends but you really don't expect that it will happen to anybody close to you, especially if that person has had a recent check-up, got a clean bill of health, and was told he could cut his medicines down by 1/2 the dose. Well just like big corporations are too big to fail, a family member can disappear in a drop of a hat. I had planned on having my brother around for at least another 20 years and figured that we could get caught up on whatever we wanted to do over this time frame, but it was a "Reality Check" and he must have had a higher calling. I am grateful that I had a wonderful brother growing up, we shared a lot of fun adventures, and we were both lucky to have built wonderful families with out time. Nothing in life is perfect and god knows that me and my brother were competitive but shared common beliefs, but at the "end of the day" (i.e. one of Scott's favorite lines to say) we were brothers and their wasn't anything that we would not do for one another and we both loved each other. I will really miss my brother Scott, it has been difficult dealing with the fact that I cannot have another conversation with him, but thank god for all of the family memories, pictures, and stories that I have to remember, they make me smile and they comfort me. God Bless You Scott. 

It’s difficult to think about Scott not being around anymore; and I cannot imagine the loss the family must feel.  I know I haven’t seen him for a few years, but I will never forget his smile, laugh and kind heart. I always loved spending time with him.  Very few people have left me with such wonderful memories.  I’m thinking of the Pink Floyd concert April 25,1988 and the many parties we had at Julie and Scott’s home. Some of the best times of my life. He left us way too soon.  A soul that brought laughter and fulfillment to many, and whose memory  will live on forever; especially with me. 

I’ll never forget Scott picking me up in the family station wagon, and coming to my front door in a three-piece brown suit wearing a WEREWOLF full mask. My Dad thought it was brilliant. Off we went to one of Ron Rowely’s famous Halloween parties. He was the hit of the party.

Scott was always funny, kind and sweet to me. He was always good about looking out for me and all my girlfriends back in the day.  You will be missed but never forgotten. 

Here’s a picture 4 years ago at a MDN reunion.

I didn’t know Scott as long as many people who will post here, I knew him through my husband who knew him since the 6th grade.  I did enjoy spending time with him and Julie.   He always has great stories, and dinner was never dull with them. He will be missed greatly.