Scott Pace Woolsey

St. George, Utah, Scott Pace Woolsey, 63, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack on February 27, 2024. He was born on July 12, 1960, to Brent Ross Woolsey and Joan Pace. He married Betsy Goodwin on June 14, 1980, in the rock church in Cedar City, Utah, and they were sealed for eternity on June 25, 1981, in the St. George LDS Temple.

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Heaven gained one of the most valiant men ever to have lived as our beloved husband, father, grandpa, brother, son, uncle, and friend passed into the spirit world after living a full, beautiful, and faith-filled life.

Scott was a force of nature and all who knew him felt of his energetic spirit, his enthusiasm for life, and his quick step. His entire life, even as a young boy, he was a hard worker. He seemed to have more hours in the day than the average person and was always in motion. He found his greatest joy in serving others and was the first to volunteer his time and offer a helping hand.

Scott was raised mostly in Cedar City, Utah, moving to Indian Springs in his high school years. As a young boy he loved spending days on his grandpa Pace’s farm in New Harmony, the two of them sharing a special bond. His grandpa was known to pick him up in the middle of the night on his way home from driving truck, to the shock of his parents who would wake to find Scott missing from his bed the next morning.

He learned to drive at age eight on the farm and later in life his family joked that he drove a time machine, always somehow able to arrive faster than anyone else. He was the best driver he knew.

He loved being active, and as a young man Scott played every sport, attending both Cedar City and Indian Springs High Schools.

He met the love of his life and could hardly wait to propose, pulling off the side of the road to ask Betsy to be his wife. He was always excited to surprise Betsy and showered her with many gifts over the course of their lives together. His adoration for her was clear to anyone who met him. He did everything for her and was never happier than when he was with his eternal companion. He could never say no to her, at least not for long. She was the center of his world from the moment he met her. The two of them lived in Cedar City, Las Vegas, and St. George together, building a life and a family they love more than anything else in the world.

And oh how he loved being a dad to his four girls. He was always hands-on, handling diaper changes and staying up with crying babies, with his own magical touch that could calm them down. He was the ultimate girl dad, learning to do their hair and make sure they were always well taken care of. His girls have endless memories of him coaching their sports teams and attending every musical performance and recital. He took them camping often on Cedar Mountain, and their favorite things were going on four-wheeler rides, fishing, and eating his delicious Dutch oven meals. He insisted his daughters learn to be punctual and was a shining example his whole life of giving your all to any task you were asked to perform. He helped each of them move countless times, changed tires, took them drinks, and was in the room or nearby for most of the births of his grandchildren, comforting his daughters with gentle love as they became mothers. He’d drop everything at a moment’s notice to take care of any need, large or small.

His greatest joy was in his posterity. His favorite thing was to spend time surrounded by his grandchildren, watching them play in the yard, and put on performances. He supported them in every event possible, traveling to Tennessee, Colorado, Washington, and Alaska to spend treasured moments together that are now invaluable memories. He loved laughing with his family and the simple moments captured around the dinner table. He’d happily take care of his “little squirts” while their moms and grandma went shopping. They all loved his humor and how he’d switch up his words like “wicken chings” and “chopato pips” He was the rock of his family, and the void he leaves will be vast and impossible to fill.

He loved and spoiled his loyal dog Louie who slept right up against him every night.

Scott shared many cherished memories with his family, surprising Betsy with a Mexican cruise for her 50th birthday for the whole family. He loved taking fishing trips to Alaska with his brother and dad, a lifelong dream he’d had. He enjoyed going on a Mediterranean cruise in 2019, visiting Greece, Italy, England, Montenegro, and Croatia. It was the trip of a lifetime he was thankful to take. One of his most memorable vacations was being with his family in Hawaii, playing in the ocean with his kids and grandkids, always a true child at heart himself.

He had many jobs and an impressive career throughout his life. He started working as a land surveyor with his dad Brent at 15 years old in places like Overton, Logandale, Glendale, and Pahrump. He worked with him until he graduated high school, after which he kept working on weekends. He then worked for Ralph Watson and Bulloch Brothers. He went to work with Jay Adams and really enjoyed that, the two of them remaining lifelong friends. He started working at the Nevada test site in 1987 as a union worker and thoroughly enjoyed the projects and work he did. He worked for Summit Engineering in 1995 as a survey manager, advancing the company from not even one busy survey crew, to three. In 1996 he moved his family to St. George, Utah to work for Alpha Engineering, where he ran the survey department and became an owner of the company until the day he died. He spent the last two years bringing his grandson Connor along on several jobs, teaching him the trade and passing on his passion for land surveying. His family always enjoyed shadowing him at work, watching him in the field, and seeing him find survey points everywhere they went, many of them laid by him.

He served as president of the Utah Council of Land Surveyors Color Country chapter for two years and then the state chairman for two years. He was awarded Surveyor of the Year in 2019, an honor well deserved by a man so dedicated to his trade with high standards of excellence on every job he performed.

Scott had an intense fear of snakes but encountered them often in his work as a land surveyor. His family enjoyed playing practical jokes on him, including hidden rubber snakes and sending snake videos on social media to him without warning.

Scott always kept an immaculate yard in every home he lived in. He landscaped and maintained beautiful backyards for his family to enjoy. Some of his daughters’ favorite memories include growing a garden with their dad that always had an overabundance of tomatoes. During the holidays he was known for his impressive light displays and decorations, and he spared no expense in illuminating the entire neighborhood from his yard.

He had a unique sense of humor, honking and waving at nobody as he drove to get his passengers to look out the window in confusion. He had the ultimate list of his own original dad jokes and phrases, and kept his family and friends on their toes, never knowing what he might say next.

He had the brightest smile and would instantly put people at ease and make them feel important and loved. He radiated light and joy and loved telling stories.

He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had a deep and powerful testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and served many callings throughout his life, including Scout Master, Elder’s Quorum President, Bishop, and High Councilman. He truly loved his time serving as bishop, taking special care of his flock while he was called to serve. He was a faithful man with a very personal relationship with his Savior. He was always the first to show up and the last to leave, truly emulating Christlike love and kindness to everyone he encountered.

He is survived by his wife Betsy of St. George, Utah; His daughters Kirsten Tyrrel (Benjamin), Ashlee Ruesch (Mason), Desiree Austin (John), all of St. George, Utah, and Tasha Thorup (Noah) of Anchorage, Alaska, and his bonus daughter Gabby Sullivan (Rusty) of Las Vegas, Nevada; His grandchildren Connor, Parker, and Felicity Tyrrel, Finn, Bradley, Lydia, and Sienna Ruesch, Avery and Andi Austin; His father Brent Woolsey (Sherron) of Hurricane, Utah; His siblings Sandy Barton of Paragonah, Utah, Sherise Shively of Traverse City, Michigan, and Steven Woolsey of Enoch, Utah. He is preceded in death by his mother Joan Woolsey Dewitt and his sweet dogs Lady, Figaro, and Inka.

A viewing will be held at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, Utah on Sunday March 3, 2024, 6:00-8:00 pm. A second viewing will be held on March 4, 2024, 9:30-10:30 am with Funeral services to follow at 11:00 am, at 912 S. 1740 E. St., St. George, Utah 84790. Interment will take place at Tonaquint Cemetery, 1777 S. Dixie Dr., St. George, Utah 84770.

Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St. George, Utah, (435) 673-2454.

Family and friends are invited to sign Scott’s online guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com