John Deaderick Scott Sr.

Born June 8, 1943, in Knoxville, John was the son of the late George Richard Scott and Ruth Wassom Scott. The family moved to Charlotte when John was twelve, where he later graduated from East Mecklenburg High School and then continued his studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He served as student body president and was the first student to graduate in 1966 from the newly formed university.

Upon graduation, John served with distinction as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He was the damage control officer on the USS Liberty, a spy ship the Israelis repeatedly strafed and torpedoed in June 1967. For his heroism in saving the ship from sinking, John was awarded the Silver Star. He later served aboard the USS Monmouth County in Vietnam, where he was severely wounded in a shipboard explosion that resulted in his medical retirement from the Navy.

John worked for 27 years with Bellsouth, managing the company’s real estate for the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. After his retirement from Bellsouth, he ran his own development company, Smith, Scott & Associates, building homes and offices in many of Charlotte’s historic neighborhoods. Outside of work, John was a member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church and the Charlotte Country Club.

His best friend in life was his wife, the former Sue Maffitt of Raleigh, whom he married on June 21, 1969. The couple’s two-month courtship blossomed into a nearly half-century marriage blessed by two sons. John loved fishing with his boys and later his grandchildren, building furniture, and watching the sunsets with a cigar in hand from his beach house on Kiawah Island, SC.

He is survived by his wife, Sue Scott; two children, John D. Scott, Jr., of Charlotte, and James M. Scott of Mt. Pleasant, SC; and four grandchildren, Sophia Scott, John D. Scott, III (Jack); Isabella Scott (Isa), and Grigsby Scott (Grigs) as well as two brothers, George R. Scott, Jr., of Greensboro and Samuel E. Scott of Stuart, FL.

A celebration of John’s life will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, at the family’s home. The funeral will be private.

For those wishing to send memorial gifts, please consider the Memory Center Charlotte (www.memorycentercharlotte.org), the Ivey (www.theivey.com), or one of your choice.