Scott Charles Brown

Scott Charles Brown was a vigorous man who loved life and lived it to the fullest.

Scott was born in a decade of radical change in America. Despite the Vietnam War, protests on college campuses, and the assassination of key political leaders, the United States made gains in the civil rights movement and space race with the first moon walk. A truely bright spot for Richard and Sue (Shoop) Brown was the birth of Scott on July 31, 1968 in the home town of Mark Twain, Hannibal, Missouri. He was given the middle name, Charles, from his Uncle Chuck. Scott's father was in sales and his mother taught elementary school grades 1 and 5 and middle school grades 7 and 8. He and his older brother, Michael Wayne, moved with their parents to Kansas City, Missouri where their sister Kari LaVon was born. There was always a special bond between Scott and Kari as he always felt he needed to protect her.

Scott started school in Kansas City, but the family would move a number of times throughout his childhood. They next lived in Springfield for two years before moving to Fairfield, Connecticut from 1978 to 1985, the longest amount of time the young family lived in one place. If the family was on-the-go, so was Scott. While a junior in high school, Scott moved to Bolivia as an exchange student with the Rotary Exchange. He was there one year and, in that time, his family moved once again. They used to tease him that they would up and move and not tell him while he was in Bolivia. Well, they actually did move to Barrington, Illinois and Scott joined them for his final year of high school. Scott was free-spirited, fun-loving, and laid-back enough to thrive on the adventures that marked his family life.

Being a conscientious student, Scott excelled in school. If he ever received a poor grade, his parents never had to say a word. Scott was hardest on himself. He was eager to succeed and to experience a great number of different activities in his young years. Already at age eight, Scott played football with the Pop Warner Football League of Springfield. He and his brother Michael were both on baseball teams and members of the Boy Scouts. When they first went to Boy Scout camp together, Scott was especially excited because he got to go with his older brother. Scott always wanted to spend time with Michael and do whatever his big brother did. Of course, that would get him into trouble too. One time Michael and Scott decided to shoot off bottle rockets in the back of their home in Connecticut . That brought the police to their door. If that wasn't fearful enough, imagine how wide their eyes grew when Dad told the police to take the boys away! Fortunate for Scott and Michael, the police just had a talk with them. No doubt, this adventure added to Scott's education.

Scott also tried his hand at drums, playing in junior high band. But as he grew older, Scott knew it wasn't for him. Soon enough, golf came into his life and that fit him to a "tee". His family belonged to a country club in Connecticut, and Scott started playing when he was 11 or 12 years old. At Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, he learned the rules quickly and developed such proficiency that he could go out on the course by himself. Scott absolutely loved the game and he was good at it, especially the distance he achieved with his drives. Throughout his life, golf was Scott's sport.

After graduating from Barrington High School in Illinois, Scott went to the University of Illinois. While there, he met Bill Zinn who quickly became his best friend and roommate as they shared the love of golf and flying. To this day they remain good friends. He graduated in 1991 with a degree in Aviation and a minor in Spanish. While in college, Scott worked as a bellman in a hotel in Champagne, Illinois. He had the distinction of serving dessert to President and Nancy Reagan when they dined there! After college, Scott continued in the hotel industry. Most recently, Scott worked in downtown Indianapolis with Adams Mark hotel as the assistant general manager and then as assistant director of sales with his most current employer, the Radisson. His trustworthy, caring, happy nature made him a natural at dealing with people.

In 1998, Scott married Shelly Conboy and they had a beautiful daughter together on December 28, 1998. Madison Elizabeth was the light of Scott's life and she definitely has his intelligence...as well as his height and nose. When Shelly and Madison moved to Texas, Scott made sure every minute he had with Madison counted. They often went to the zoo together because they both loved animals.

It was in 2000 that Scott moved to Indianapolis where life was full of activity that introduced him to his future fiancée. Scott met Lisa Sproull in May of 2003 through the Indianapolis Sport and Social League. From the day they met, Scott and Lisa spent a lot of time together. She shared his love of golf, and was herself an outstanding golfer. She actually beat Scott the first time they golfed together. But Scott won in the game of patience...he was and she wasn't.

Having traveled a great deal in his youth, Scott continued to enjoy trips with Lisa. They vacationed in some of his favorite places-Las Vegas, the Caribbean on a cruise, and to Chicago where Lisa had many friends. It was on a trip to Manhattan in October that Scott proposed to Lisa and she accepted. They had planned to be married in the spring of 2006.

In their life together, Scott and Lisa not only loved spending time with one another, they also enjoyed being with family and friends. Sometimes they would go out to dinner or a concert, or stay in to watch sports or a movie. They were fans of basketball, football, golf, and NASCAR. In fact, Scott was good friends with the owner of BAM Racing. His sister Kari loved to visit her big brother as they enjoyed going to the race together in Indianapolis every year. Scott was also a friend to the DJ's of 99.5, WZPL, where he was known to them as "Hotel Scott". The hotel had done some functions with them and they got to know Scott as well as his taste in music. Some of Scott's favorite musicians include: Dire Straits, the Kinks, John Mayer, Jimmy Buffet, Nora Jones, and Jack Johnson, among many others. Though annoying to some, Scott's habit of channel surfing (radio and TV) probably kept him tuned to exactly what he wanted to hear. As for his taste in food, Scott was partial to salmon, chicken wings, Red Bull, and Vodka. Scott certainly enjoyed the good things of life.

Scott was very pleased when his sister Kari was married to Jon Zeitz. These were very happy times for the family as they were together in Knoxville. Scott loved Knoxville as his parents live on a golf course and he also was a big fan of the Tennessee Volunteers football and basketball programs.

Scott also had a positive outlook on life. Even when he was going through his bout with cancer, Scott always said that "everything was fine." He truly felt that everything would be fine. And by his sincerity, dedication, love, and humor Scott made life fine for those around him. He will be sorely missed by all who love him deeply.

Scott Charles Brown, 37, of Indianapolis, died on Thursday, December 1, 2005. Scott is survived by his fiancée, Lisa Sproull; one daughter, Madison Elizabeth Brown; his parents, E. Sue Brown and Richard W. Brown; siblings, Michael W. Brown and Kari L. Zeitz (Jon); uncles, Chuck Shoop (Penny) and Lynn Brown (Susan). Friends and family will gather on Monday, December 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. in St. Luke's United Methodist Church, where Scott attended. The funeral service will begin at 3 p.m. in the church. An additional funeral service will be held in Tennessee at the Tellico Village Community Church at 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 8. Following the burial, the family will receive friends and family at the home of his parents. You are invited to visit the website: www.lifestorynet.com where you may read Scott's Life Story, share a personal memory, or make a memorial contribution in lieu of flowers to the Make a Wish Foundation, 6325 Digital Way, STE.150, Indianapolis, IN 46278-1697 or STAR (Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding), 11800 Highway 11E, Lenoir City, TN 37772. Arrangements are entrusted to Leppert Life Story Funeral Home, Nora Chapel.