Quiet, good and kind
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 10:02 a.m., March 1, 2008
Updated 10:02 a.m., March 1, 2008
There was a memorial Mass for Ron Scott this morning at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. If only a small percentage of the people he helped or tried to help in his life showed up, the church was filled to overflowing.
Scott was a healer by profession and a helper by inclination. His training as a psychotherapist gave him the practical tools he needed to do the good works he wanted to do.
Ron Scott’s name showed up often in The Gazette over the years, but seldom in the sort of story that would draw attention to his hard work in the community. Week after week, his support group for people who were divorcing was mentioned in Tuesday’s “Health Agenda.” Whenever mental health became an issue in the news, Scott was a go-to guy for Gazette reporters, always good for a sensible, compassionate quote.
A lot of people knew him and respected him, but nobody seemed to think of him as famous in the community.
Most of the time — at the Mental Health Center, Catholic Community Services, in private practice or in any number of volunteer endeavors — he was too busy helping people to build any kind of public reputation.
Often, the people he helped were those who needed help most but had the fewest resources. In times of illness, personal crises, family crises or community crises, Scott could always be depended on for healing care.
Hyperbole would be out of place in any tribute to Ron Scott. He was not a saint — plaster or otherwise. He was a good man doing the best he could for the people who needed him.
But he was a very good man and his best was very good indeed.