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William ‘Bill’ A. Scott, 81

| April 1, 2020 1:00 AM

William A. Scott, 81, of Harrison, Idaho, passed away on March 29, 2020. Born in Plains, Mont., on May 18, 1938, to Elmer and Welma (Cummings) Scott, he was raised by his grandmother, Lola Dell Cummings. He lived in Plains through the first grade and then moved to Polaris, Idaho, and attended school in Osburn and Kellogg. He was a member of the 1954-1955 and 1955-1956 state championship basketball teams.

In 1958 he married Sandra L. Chaffee and was blessed with two children, Bruce William and Stacey JoyAnn. He graduated from Eastern Washington State College with a degree in personnel management and received a direct commission through the ROTC program as a second lieutenant in the Army. He did tours in Fort Knox, Ky.; Germany; Fort Lee, Va.; Vietnam; Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md.; Stockton, Calif.; Jakarta, Indonesia; Fort Riley, Kan.; Hawaii; and Fort Lewis, Wash. He retired after 23 years of service as a lieutenant colonel and received numerous awards, including the Bronze Star in Vietnam and the Meritorious Service Medal upon retirement.

After retiring, he spent eight years in Saudi Arabia training their national guard and later served Shoshone County, Idaho, for eight years as the disaster services coordinator.

Bill is survived by his son, Bruce (Betsy) Scott of Hurricane, Utah; daughter, Stacey (Steve) Woodworth of Mukilteo, Wash.; granddaughters Jessica (Tim) Joyce, Cassandra Woodworth and Camryn Woodworth; grandsons Ryan and Cody Scott; great-grandson, Landon Joyce; great-granddaughter, Piper Joyce; his brother, Ray Scott of Coeur d’Alene; sister, Inez Anderson of Lewiston, Idaho; and his constant companion, Poddle Buddy. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; guardian, Lola; and grandson, Kyle.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the USO or any of the many benefit programs to military veterans would be greatly appreciated.

No services are planned at this time. Bill will be laid to rest in Plains, Mont., at a later date. Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Bill’s online memorial and sign his guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.