Obituary of Scott Alan Hutchinson

"DEATH LEAVES A HEARTACHE NO ONE CAN HEAL LOVE LEAVES A MEMORY NO ONE CAN STEAL" Scott Alan Hutchinson passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He fought cancer ten years ago and won. He was 63 years old. Scott was born on August 25, 1948, in Van Nuys, California. He moved to Santa Cruz with his family when he was five years old. He attended local schools and graduated in 1966 from Santa Cruz High. He married Connie Pappas in 1971 and they celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary on June 20, 2011. Scott often remarked that Connie and he were opposites, but opposites attract. One thing they had in common was their work ethic and Scott would laugh and state, "I owe, I owe it's off to work I go" and then he would try and make the most fun out of it. Scott and Connie enjoyed traveling to Hawaii and Mexico, when they could get away from their busy work schedules. His favorite times were family gatherings and holidays at his home and pool, where he would entertain and play with the kids, because Scott was a kid at heart with a youthful spirit. He didn't want to take the Christmas tree down until the end of February. He served in the military as a military policeman in the Army reserves from 1966 to 1972. He was stationed at Fort Ord for his basic training with soldiers from all over the country, who questioned the weather at the camp. Scott told them that right across the bay where he lived it was sunny all the time, while they marched in pea soup fog at Fort Ord. The other soldiers didn't believe him and they all bet Scott five dollars that all of Monterey Bay was foggy. On their first leave, Scott brought them to a hot sunny day at the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk and boasted. "Pay up, buddies!" He was employed by the Santa Cruz Sentinel for thirty seven years as assistant manager and manager of the pressroom. He was proud that with the other manager, they always got the paper printed no matter what, including floods, storms, blackouts and earthquakes. He also owned and operated Jack's Hamburgers with his wife for the last twenty one years and served food in downtown Santa Cruz, when several businesses left after the 1989 earthquake and during the slow recovery that followed. Scott was a natural athlete with a black belt in judo, who loved all sports especially tennis. He enjoyed playing with the Ramsey Park Teams but most of all he loved all his tennis partners. He spent years coaching and watching his son, Jonathan, who was the pride of his life, play sports and looked forward to driving Jonathan and all his friends to their games and supporting their teams. Scott will always be remembered for being a good listener, his great sense of humor and his infectious laugh. He loved to tease and if he teased you, it meant that you were his friend and if you were his friend, you were his friend for life. He is survived by his loved ones, his beloved wife of forty years, Connie, his son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Melissa Hutchinson and his new baby grandson and the joy of his life, Jack Taylor Hutchinson, his daughter and son-in-law, Wendy and Clarke Barrett and his granddaughters, Caroline and Alison Barrett, his mother and her husband, Ruth and Don Wakefield, his sister, Marta Christensen, his sister-in-law and her husband, Libby and Bill Purdy and their daughters, Alexis and Leah Purdy, who adored their "Uncle Scott". He is also survived by his father-in-law and good buddy, Demetrie "Papou" Pappas, his new family Gary, Branna and Jason Banks and his extended family at Jack's who he referred to as his kids, Felipe, Arnol, Miguel, Juan, Nancy, Favi and Vicky. At his request, Scott's services will be private and his ashes spread past Lighthouse Point, where he surfed as a young man and said he always felt free from any bad thoughts and alone with the natural beauty of Santa Cruz. By the Grace of God and all the prayers and heart-filled support from family and friends Scott was able to enjoy four extra months of blessed painless living, filled with walks, sitting in the sun and visiting with family and friends. A special thank you to Hospice of Santa Cruz. There will be a celebration of his life at Delaveaga Golf Lodge, Wednesday, January 18, 2012 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Arrangements are under the care of Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel. Please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com to sign the online guest book for Scott or express your condolences to Scott's family.