James Ray Scott

James Ray Scott, 59, died on New Year’s Day 2025 in Oklahoma City surrounded by friends and family after a sudden unexpected bout with cancer. 

Jimmy was born in Omaha, Neb., on Christmas Eve 1965, the first of Alvin Ray Scott and Mary Scott’s three children. The family was transferred from Omaha’s Offutt Air Force Base to Okinawa, Japan then to Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota and Patrick AFB in Satellite Beach, Fla., before returning to his mother’s hometown of Oklahoma City.

He graduated from Western Heights High School and worked for 20 years in various roles at The Daily Oklahoman, culminating in dock manager. He then served as a group facilitator and support worker for the telephone crisis line Contact, becoming fascinated by the field of psychology. 

He returned to school to earn degrees from Oklahoma City Community College and University of Central Oklahoma before earning his MA and Psy.D. in clinical psychology from the School of Professional Psychology at Forest Institute in Springfield, Mo. 

After being awarded his doctorate, he served as clinical psychologist for Oklahoma Assessment and Therapy Services in Shawnee, taught at St. Gregory’s University and Rose State Community College, and worked as a medical consultant for Social Security Disability.

Jimmy loved his family, his fiancée, his friends, the Minnesota Vikings, and his Dobermann, Guillermo. He traveled with a collection of small rubber ducks, which he delighted in leaving as surprises for fellow Jeep owners. His Gladiator’s rear window was decorated with stickers proclaiming support for progressive causes, centered around a world globe ringed with his favorite saying: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”

He was a master of word games, playing wordle daily, as well as competing in tournaments for wordscapes where he played on a team with people from all around the world. He was also an aficionado of rock and roll bands, especially The Beatles, Queen, and The Rolling Stones. He attended several Green Day concerts with his daughter and, in the last year of his life, saw Ringo Starr in concert and cheered on The Rolling Stones at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and at the band’s tour finale in Ridgedale, Mo.

He is survived by his daughter, Melissa Scott; fiancée Carolyn Messick; parents Ray and Mary Scott; sister Jami Page; brother Glenn Scott and his wife, Amy Williamson Scott; nephew Christian Williamson; nephew Jesse Page and his partner, Amy Orth; and by niece Janice Richardson, her husband Mason, and their children Jericho, Liam, and Jason.

A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Smith and Kernke Funeral Home, 14624 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City. Visiting hours will be held at Smith and Kernke from noon-6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to community organizations that honor the life and legacy of Jimmy: the ACLU of Oklahoma, ReMerge, and Guiding Right.