Obituary: Scott Jon Piddington, 79, of Durham, NC

Scott Jon Piddington, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away on Sunday, January 23 in Durham, North Carolina at the age of 79.

Scott was born February 15, 1942, to Percy and Margaret Piddington (Gundlach) in Viroqua, Wisconsin. After college and three years in the Marine Corps, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met the love of his life, Jennifer Piddington (Valetti). They were married on August 11, 1972, and welcomed three daughters beginning in 1974; Andrea Ellen Piddington, Amie Marie Piddington, and Marci Piddington Hansen.

Scott was the original “girl dad” and taught his daughters the value of hard work, curiosity, and independence. His favorite response to their questions about almost anything was often, “Go look it up.” Scott and Jennifer moved to her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1973, where Scott very quickly became a lifelong Steelers fan and spent most Sunday afternoons watching football games with his family, all yelling at the TV.

In 1989, Scott and his family moved to Durham, North Carolina for a new job, beginning a new adventure as a family. He retired from his lifelong sales and service career in the engineering industry in 2013 at the age of 70. The birth of his first granddaughter, Julia, in 2010 was one of the happiest moments of his life, followed by Lyla in 2013, who, much to his delight, shared his love of newspaper comics; he loved being Papa to Julia and Lyla. Scott was an animal lover, and greatly adored his dogs and granddogs as well.

Scott was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Gundlach Piddington, father, Percy Allen Piddington, and stepmother Vera Haney Piddington. He is survived by his beloved wife, Jennifer Piddington (Valetti), his daughters, Andrea Ellen Piddington, Amie Marie Piddington, and Marci Piddington Hansen (Corey Hansen), and his two granddaughters, Julia Jane Hansen and Lyla Drew Hansen, brother Bruce Piddington, brother Richard Haney, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A visitation for Scott is planned for Thursday, January 27, 2022, from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, 1113 W. Main St., Durham, NC 27701; all are invited to attend. The funeral mass will be held on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 11:00 am at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 810 W Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701.

In lieu of flowers, people wishing to honor Scott’s lifelong love of animals can make donations in Scott’s memory to Saving Grace Animals for Adoption (https://savinggracenc.org/).

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