In Loving Memory
Scott Gale Loney was born April 20th, 1964 to Sharon Gainer, and Charles Loney. Brother to Chuck Loney, and best friend and neighbor to me. He passed away in peace, on May 11th, 2025, not even a month after his 61st birthday. He lived in Smallwood Apartments in Hillsboro.
I think we moved in about the same time, around 11 years ago, he may have been here before me. He lived upstairs from me, next to another mutual friend, Dan. I wasn't close to the tenant next-door before him, his disability made it difficult to get close to him. And Scott moved in because he wanted a first floor unit.
Immediately we were friends. And then Dan passed away unexpectedly. Both of us grieved for Dan, he was a good friend. Scott and I soon became best of friends. I work mostly from home, so I started knocking on his door on my breaks sometimes, hanging out after work, or he'd come over to my place. I am an avid movie fan and I'm really into smart home tech and vintage poster design. Scott loved what I had done with my apartment, and it turned out that he was into the same things. He liked watching movies with me, and he had a lot of vintage stuff at his place too. Old movie posters, vintage Coca-Cola signage, Marilyn Monroe pictures and a shelf full of nostalgia from the last 60 years or so. He loved the smart home tech I had, especially the lights, and for Christmas last year, I gave him a set of lights for his TV. He absolutely loved them! A little skittish at first on how to control them, but I set it up on his phone and taught him how to control them.
What set Scott apart was what a loyal friend he was, even from the beginning. Scott was the kind of approachable person you wanted as a neighbor, and an easy person to be friends with. He was a friend of most of the people who lived in our complex. Always giving of himself, if someone needed something. On the flipside, he hated asking people, or depending on people, for help with stuff. For me that was never an issue. I learned long ago, when I was a kid, how to be a good neighbor, how to foster that relationship into a strong friendship, from my mother. She spent most of her life battling one major illness after the other and hated asking for help. But our neighbor Patti, was always there for her, like a sister. That is how I'd like to remember Scott, as a brother, not just a friend or neighbor.
Scott was easy to get along with. We would watch movies every night, and/or TV shows. Neither one of us had cable, but I would get movies online almost daily, and TV shows. Mostly older stuff, like within the last 20-30 years, but a lot of the new stuff too. Some of the craziest stuff. A lot of times, I'd get a movie for us to watch just to make fun of it. It was great. Plus I had Netflix and other services too. He relied on me to help him set things up. I set up his TVs, his phone, his lights and Bluetooth devices for him.
I think the hardest thing for me, and those who loved him, will be not seeing him around. For me, not having my movie buddy around. He was a wonderful son to Sharon, and brother to Chuck. He stayed in touch with them very closely. His last year was the most challenging for him with his medical conditions. He was in a lot of pain and even more so frustration, but I know he is in a better place now, and no longer in pain. Scott will be missed, but never forgotten.
Romans 12:10 - "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."