Scott Millar

Obituary of Scott Lamond Millar

Scott Millar passed away on October 19, due to heart conditions. He was fifty-five years old, visiting his mother in Pennsylvania at the time. Scott was born March 20, 1955 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania and attended local schools in nearby Springfield, PA. His mother, Jane Millar, was born in Philadelphia. His father, Tom Millar, was born in Scotland and came to the US through Ellis Island. As a kid, Scott was an enthusiastic Boy Scout, enjoying the opportunities the program gave him to camp, learn marksmanship, and-when he was fifteen-travel to Europe. His camping experiences in Scouting led him to take up backpacking later in life. Although born and raised in Pennsylvania, Scott chose California to be his home state and came to live here in his late teens. He lived and worked in Berkeley for a few years before moving to Santa Cruz, where he attended Cabrillo College part time and worked to support himself. His favorite activity in those days was riding long trips on his motorcycle. As a backpacker he was quite avid, enjoying his trips with friends to British Columbia and the Sierras. In 1980 he and a friend took a two-week journey in the Sierra Nevadas along John Muir trail, over a snow-covered Forrester Pass and then on to the top of Mount Whitney. He insisted on waking early the following morning to be "the first in California to see the sunrise that day." In 1982 he met his future wife Julie at Cabrillo; they married in 1984. He attended UCSC full time and graduated in 1987 with a BA with Honors in American Studies. He remained fascinated with American history and culture his entire life, with a zest for reading accounts of Gettysburg and the Pacific War and everything in between. Scott worked in local politics as a campaign consultant, and as administrative aide to two fifth district County Supervisors. A rewarding project for him was Friends of Locally Owned Water (FLOW), a grassroots advocacy group in Felton, whose inception was a large part of Scott's work. Upon retiring from the County, he devoted himself to sailing, his greatest passion-outside his family-over the past twenty years. When sailing, Scott derived immense pleasure from navigating, and simply being on the ocean. In October of 2000, after spending ten months on his hands and knees refitting his boat, he took his family for an extended voyage along the west coast of Mexico. The trip went idyllically for months until, while anchored in Tenacatita, Jalisco, lightning struck the mast, destroying all electronics on the boat's network and even the cassette tapes stowed on-board. After only minimal repairs, Scott hand steered the boat more than two thousand miles back to Santa Cruz. The incident only made him more determined to continue sailing to further destinations. Scott leaves his wife Julie Millar, in Santa Cruz, son Matt, now a second-year student at UCLA, and his mother, Jane Millar, living in Media, Pennsylvania. We love him very much and are proud to be part of his life. As he requested, his ashes will be scattered at sea in a small private ceremony; a gathering of his friends and family will be scheduled at a future time.
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A Memorial Tree was planted for Scott
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel
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