Steven Roscoe Scott

Steven Roscoe Scott, a beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, was taken in death on July 29, 2026. He was born in Robinson on December 2, 1963, and grew up in Palestine, where he was a boy on the move, riding his bike all over the place. That restlessness carried on into adulthood after graduating from Palestine High School in 1982. Some of that momentum showed up behind the wheel. As a young man, Steven did his fair share of racing on the back roads of Crawford County, testing boundaries-and pushing past them-and in doing so, he learned exactly what a car can and cannot do. These years fashioned a very good driver, an excellent one, even. He knew cars from the inside out, right up to their limits.

Steven worked on vehicles, yes, but he worked on everything. He especially enjoyed working alongside Dave Maxwell at Maxwell Concrete, where he could be outside doing the construction work he loved. Steven had an artistic eye, even while doing the most mundane tasks, and that eye showed up in everything from the concrete he poured to the house he built. He liked to make things look perfect and was very detailed in his work, never satisfied unless it was absolutely right. Even something as simple as cleaning his wife Teresa's car turned into a full detailing job. After all, that was the only way he knew how to do it.

Of course, a man that particular about getting things right was bound to be a little hard-headed, and Steven certainly could be. He was unmovable at times, for sure. Once he decided the right way to do a thing, there wasn't much use arguing him off it, and truthfully, he was usually right!

All of that talent had a purpose, and it was his family. Building, fixing, and maintaining were where Steven shined, and family and friends alike benefited from his abilities. He always made sure to keep his loved ones safe and secure by keeping the cars running, the electricity humming, and the water flowing. He built his and Teresa's house himself-plumbing and electrical included-but his hands were never only for his own. It didn't matter much whether he knew you well. If you had a project and Steven had said yes, he'd work through the night before he'd leave it short of his standard, because his standard was the only one he had.

For all that seriousness about his work, Steven was a man who lived with joy. He told jokes and loved to laugh, and he was every bit as good a listener as he was a worker, a ready ear whenever you needed one. He got along with just about everyone, and you'd be lucky to count him as a friend. Yet, Steven was never one for crowds. At gatherings, he was known to keep to a quiet corner, content to watch and listen. Animals were another matter entirely. They loved and obeyed him without fail. A cat still lives out in the garage where he spent so many of his hours, and for all that Teresa has done for it, that cat was only ever his. The dogs took to him just the same. They must have sensed that Steven was a man you could count on. He was strong and steady, present in a way that never wavered.

That way of living had a source. Steven believed in Jesus Christ wholeheartedly, and though he didn't attend church as an adult, his faith was no less real for it. He and Dave Maxwell shared many long conversations about Jesus and scripture and theology. Steven lived the golden rule-doing unto others as he'd have them do unto him-and he trusted that the Lord would provide for him the way he was always providing for others. That was the shape of his whole life. The years of life Steven was given by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ were spent in the earnest effort of living the Word, being of service to his fellow man, honest and true to the best of his ability. Even as he was tested gravely in many ways along his journey, he remained steadfast and strong.

Steven will be missed absolutely. Yet those who love him rest just as absolutely in the knowledge of where he is: safe at home with the Lord. Grieving for one taken too early are his wife of 39 years, Teresa Scott; his daughter, Marly Scott, her fiancé, Jonathan Kinney, and their daughter, Mia; his sisters, Barbara (Steve) Dunlap and Donna (Joe) Bayne; and his brother, James Scott, Jr. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Sr. and Jackie (Robinson) Scott.

A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 6th at the Ford Cemetery (rural Flat Rock, IL), with Dave Maxwell officiating. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine is assisting the family at this time.