Scott Christopher Graham

1-11-76 to 3-2-2020

Scott was a gentle giant who was taken from us suddenly and will be missed profoundly by family and especially his daughter, Elizabeth. She was his “Sunshine” and he always had her picture with him when he was driving his truck for work. He said it helped him get through his shift. His mom and daughter had a special bond of love that got them through the good and the tough times. He was a great younger brother to Steve and the two of them could figure out anything mechanical.

Scott was the second son of Steven and Diane Graham. He was born in Upland, California and resided in Ontario for about a year before moving to Yucaipa. Scott grew up there and played Little League baseball, tried to play the trumpet in Junior High and lettered in Shotput and Disc Throwing at Yucaipa High School. He graduated from Yucaipa High School in 1994 and went on to attend Crafton Hills College. He later joined the California Conservation Corp and gained an appreciation of nature preservation and firefighting. In 1997 he met Elizabeth’s mom and she was born in 1998. They moved to Missouri and Scott loved it there. In 2005, they moved to Monterey and he got a job driving a concrete truck for Granit Rock. After 5 years he began driving fuel trucks for Thompson and Harvey Transportation.

The main trait that Scott possessed was his love for his family and especially his daughter, Elizabeth. She was his “Sunshine” He as a good listener and often spent time talking with her on the tailgate of his pickup. He was a father figure to Elizabeth’s friends and offered his common sense advise to them. He lived with his mother and adored her. She was his rock and he loved her very much. He loved spending time with his big brother, Steve talking about “guy stuff”, mostly trucks and Hockey. Michele, Steve’s wife added a new dimension to his life as she challenged him to step out of his comfort zone on many occasions. The latest was overcoming his fear of flying when he traveled to San Diego to go on the cruise to Hawaii.

Growing up

Scotts love of trucks started early when his Grandpa Orville let him ride along on the trucks and tractors on his farm. He took the responsibility of driving truck very seriously and won many awards for safety. He was a very skilled driver and park his truck in anywhere. He was asked to help make an instructional video for his company to train new drivers. He loved his big white Dodge pickup truck, Yetti, and orange Toyota FJ Cruiser, named Nemo.

He was very strong and stubborn from a young age also. The story goes that at one time his grandma asked him to do something and, even with bribery, he still said a firm “no”.

He and his dad used to make beer, yet he never drank any. It was just a way to connect with him.

Traits

Scott was a genuinely kind man. He would do anything for family and others. He was always available to help with remodeling projects for his sister-in-law (then his brother’s girlfriend.) He got a kick out of buying coffee for the people behind him in the Starbucks Drive-Thru line. He would also buy extra pet stuff so he could put it in the donation box at Petsmart.

Scott had a very dry and unconventional sense of humor. He would play pranks on people and he liked to surprise family with antics that came out of nowhere. He would put on masks or other silly things in the store just to embarrass his daughter. He could take lots of teasing from his sister-in-law.

Interests - Hockey, cooking, cruising, Scottish heritage

Scott was an inaugural season ticket holder to the Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team for three years. He also had season tickets for the San Jose Barracuda hockey team and attended games with his family regularly.

Cruising with his family was another joy for Scott. On his most recent trip to Hawaii in December, he was sure he was destined to move there, when he saw a Jeep that he loved. On one excursion in Ensenada, he got to go 4-wheeling in a Jeep in the back country. He always went on the tequila and wine tasting excursions with the family, but he never drank it, just passed it on to his brother. He always wanted to cruise to Alaska and pan for gold there. In the meantime, he would travel out to the Central valley on vacations to try his hand at panning. On a few occasions he ordered sand to be delivered to his home so he could pan it in his carport. He was looking forward to going to Jamaica later in the year. We will miss him dearly while we are there.

Scott loved to don his Scottish Kilts and attend many Highland Games, eating haggis and other types of Scottish foods. There is a large Graham family crest in his room that celebrates his heritage. He love to dress up and attend the Renaissance festivals also.

He like to cook and made many concoctions he like to eat.

He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, mother, Diane and brother Steven. He was preceded in death by his father, Steven.