Honoring the Legacy of Scott Causley

Have you put any thought into how you want to be remembered when it is your turn to go?  What sort of things do you hope people have to say about you and the life you lived?

Maybe you’d like to be remembered as a good husband and father.  Perhaps a kind person or the best sort of friend.

Maybe you’d like people to offer that you were a hard worker, or a successful businessman.  Some may want to be recalled as a great musician or pillar in their local community. 

It may even come down to something more personal -, like being the person who stood by another when they fought through unemployment, a divorce, an illness or maybe even as they broke free of the grip of addiction.

As you begin to think through these things, you might be quick to realize that these are not accolades you are going to earn at the last minute.  Your reputation is something that accumulates through the total sum of your actions over a lifetime.

When the news of the untimely passing of Scott Causley on May 28th began to spread, we all were able to witness what it really means to build a legacy.  Countless people expressed their mix of grief and admiration for a man who was all the things listed above and more.  These weren’t goals of his.  These things were simply the type of guy he was.

Scott was as “Bay City” as they come.  While many people can make the claim of being a lifelong Bay City resident, there are not many people who made the impact that Scotty Causley did.

A traditional family man, Scott and his wife Jill raised three children here.  The work ethic he established early on allowed him to fulfill many of his own dreams. 

Scott founded his own company, Causley Marine Contracting.  He made his living working the river that is central to Bay City’s identity, representing a generation that understood the value of hard work, honesty and dependability.  If you knew Scott, you would understand that pride and humility are completely compatible when you let your efforts do the talking for you.

Scott wasn’t all work though.  The man certainly knew how to play and that often meant his instrument of choice, drums.  Over the years he was a member of some of the most successful bands in the area, adding the backbeat to combos such as The Burdons, Bluesmobile, The Rhett Yocom Blues Band or The Last. 

He let none of this go to his head.  Instead, he used his position to mentor and foster others’ musical aspirations.  Scott was the first one to ask: “Did you bring your guitar?” offering musicians of every level the opportunity to sit in with his top-class acts. 

Over the years he became deeply connected to the region’s Blues scene, with a reputation that spread outside the Tri-Cities, reaching to music meccas like Chicago and beyond.

In 2016 Scott and Jill formalized this role with the acquisition of The Sandbar, which had a long history as a music venue.  Under the Causleys’ stewardship it grew into more than a place to watch a band or grab a beer.  It truly became a place where musicians didn’t just play - it was a comfortable place to hang out.  It held a special spot in the minds of local performers who felt this was “our bar;” a place that catered to the unique personalities that populate the scene.

In fact, The Sandbar embodied many of the same characteristics of Scott himself.  You needed a place to hold a fundraiser or to host a memorial?  It was made available.  Maybe you had a new band to introduce or a new album to promote?  The Sandbar stage was your stage.

If you truly wanted to understand the impact that Scott made on this community, the outpouring of support after his passing was your proof.  Scott always had the ability to pack a room and that was on full display at the proceedings surrounding his funeral.  It wasn’t just the sheer number of people that left an impression.  As you looked around the room you saw people from every walk of life and every generation. It was the type of gathering that said just as much as any of the kind words that were spoken on his behalf.

As we all offer our support to his immediate family, it is fair to begin to grapple with the hole that is left in our community with his loss.  They just don’t make them like Scotty anymore.  He wasn’t just a self-made man.  He was truly someone who made the people around him better, too. 

So, what kind of words should we use in this moment to describe a man like Scott Causley?  I’ll give you three:  Important.  Irreplaceable.  Iconic.

May he rest peacefully upon the reputation he earned and the legacy he left as a blueprint for us to emulate.