Family
Samantha Gibson
Scott Beard is my husband’s Uncle and my daughter’s Great-Uncle. For the past 8 years, I have had the immeasurable pleasure of getting to know him as Uncle Scott.
There are so many treasured memories that I have of Uncle Scott. Singing with Blaine at the piano in Arizona, sun tanning on the beaches of North Carolina, his crazy hat at Lily’s first birthday party, and so many more. I’ll miss his impressions, his jokes, listening to him play and sing, and the pivotal pillar that he was in my family’s life.
Scott, we miss you so much.
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Kevin Selfe
Scott was my first cousin and was a few years older than me. I saw his brilliance and passion for music when I was kid and thought maybe I could grow up to be a musician one day as well. He was such an inspiration that I ended up pursuing a musical path and have enjoyed successful career for many years. I moved from Virginia to Portland, OR in 2007 for better music opportunities and did not have the opportunity to see Scott much in that time. We would still send each other messages to check in and he was always so encouraging of me and my career.
The last time I saw Scott was in 2017 when I had decided to take a long break from performing to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. The trail goes right through Harper’s Ferry, WV only a couple miles from where Scott lived. He offered to pick me up and have me stay at the farm for the night. When I arrived in town, he showed up in this spotless black Mercedes and was dressed impeccably in a suit. And there I was, I hadn’t showered in 5 days, was covered in mud, had holes in my clothes and stunk something fierce. He didn’t care at all and took me straight to the nicest French restaurant in town to get me a proper meal. We walked in and I felt terribly embarrassed because of how I was dressed and how I smelled, but he would have none of it. Everyone there knew him and they were just happy to meet his cousin that was hiking the trail. He even went up and introduced me to the mayor who was eating across the room from us. I just remember sitting there being so grateful for him. We talked about music, about our grandparents, the old farm, and just about life. It was such a special evening and he was such a special human being.
Scott cared so deeply about those in his life, always working to lift them up to see their true potential.
Thank you, my dear cousin, for being that amazing light that supported us and that we all looked up to. I will miss you always.