Scott O. Long

HUBBARDSTON - Scott Owen Long, died on January 28, 2021 at 5:28 a.m. while trying to recover from pneumonia and heart conditions brought on by COVID-19.

Scott is survived by his wife of 32 years: Tanya; his mother: Beverly; his children and their partners: Taran and his wife Kathleen (Hubbardston, MA), Morgan and her fiancé Tom (Charlton, MA), Tia and her husband Jacob (Worcester, MA) and Ariana and her husband Ralph (San Antonio Texas); Eleven grandchildren: Lexi (14), Rachel (14), Natalie (13), Calie (9), Kendryk (9), John (7), Ayden (6), Peter (4), Tamina (3), Ryleigh (1), and Aubrey (4-mo); siblings: Randall, Patty, Deanna, Debbie, and Jordan. He was preceded by his father Don and sister-in-law Heidi who went on to be with the Lord within the past 9 months.

Scott was born in Salem, Massachusetts on March 9, 1967. His parents were founding pastors of a large church movement in central Massachusetts. This is where he and Tanya first met. The legacy of being in ministry was something handed down through the generations, not only from his parents, but even his uncles, aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents, who spent their lives serving in ministry and missions.

Scott grew up in the church and with the idea of what it means to be a follower of Christ. At 16 years old his father sent him on a mission trip to visit the country of Haiti with the Detellis family. This first overseas trip always stayed close to his heart.

In his young adult years, he walked away from the church for a period of time. He married his wife and best friend in Sarasota, Florida on June 18, 1988. Scott became very successful in business through his twenties. He was the district supervisor for twenty-seven offices along the East Coast. After a number of years, he started and owned several of his own businesses, which were also very successful.

At 30 years old, Scott came to a crossroads in his life. He was confronted with the reality that he was living life for himself, having neglected his relationship with Christ. It was in this moment that Scott decided to leave the money and success of this life behind. He dedicated himself fully to following Jesus and learning what his true purpose in life should be.

In 2000, Scott and his family traveled to the country of Haiti as a family, soon after deciding to serve this nation as full-time missionaries.

In 2005, Scott and Tanya founded Mission E4, a Massachusetts based 501c3. Through the work of Mission E4 they started youth and children’s programs in Central Massachusetts, helped found schools in Albania and Kosovo, and focused on community-development work in Haiti. Mission E4 currently has over 3,000 children in school with over 300 indigenous employees in Haiti—all through the consistent dedication of Scott’s life.

Scott’s biggest goal in life was to see people develop their own relationships with Jesus. He loved to help people. One of the verses he often shared came from James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father considers pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Scott loved to work, but even more he loved to spend time with his family. He loved to play games, travel, and especially loved the time he had with his grandchildren. His wife and children elected to share a specific aspect of him in this publication, as he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Tanya – As a wife you see many sides of the person you are married to. Throughout all the years with Scott, the best word for me to use to describe him is noble. It was the most miraculous journey I have ever seen a human being travel on; to have all the gifts he had and continue to lay them down at the Lord’s feet over and over again. One of my favorite stories is Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. Some translations bring up the word “noble,” which is a word not often used in today’s society. As I pondered and prayed for revelation on what it meant to have a noble heart, I found words like, safe, protector, godly, someone who care more about others than themself, someone who has honor for God and His creation in every regard (their needs, environment, and ability to thrive). A noble person is one who enables others to walk a path where they could experience all of life to its fullest. He makes a way for others to become the person that God wants them to be on this earth. It is a big task to lay your life down and pick up the cause of Christ. I truly believe when Jesus taught about how to reap the most in this world, it was all about the condition of our heart, soul, mind and how we treat others. As I watched Scott grow, he wrestled with this more than anything else in his life. I truly saw that the Lord was able to accomplish this in Scott, my dear husband and friend, a godly man with a noble heart.

Tia: My biggest hero, my friend, my loving dad passed this week. I do not have the words that do justice for my dad’s life; maybe that is because I am still not ready to let him go.

It may be cliché to say, but my father was my hero. I watched him as I was a child move around the world with my family, building orphanages, schools and churches. He gave food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, love to the lonely and faith to the hopeless. My father made a lot of money when I was very small and yet made the choice to give it all up, to make the world a better place. He taught me that love is the greatest gift of all, and that life is a gift.

My father believed in making the most of every moment to make memories.

I remember watching my superhero dad and still knowing he always had time to sing to me, listen to me, hug my when in cried, dance with me, comfort me and laugh with me.

He gave me real gifts; gifts of strength, of knowledge, of not fearing emotion, but how to express it. He taught me to stand on my feet, and how to get up when I fell. He showed the value of taking every moment as a gift. A moment to dance and sing and laugh with the people I love.

He treated me as his little princess with a fire, this made me feel that I could conquer the world.

My dad was my first call when I cried to ask for advice. I wish I could ask him what to do now, but I know he would tell me, “it is okay to be sad and that you will find the strength again to carry on.” I know he gave me the strength to continue and that his lessons live in me always.

Morgan: Anyone who knew my dad was honored and privileged. A man filled with honor, integrity, selflessness, compassion and love for all he met in life.

Intentional love is something so rare in our world. He spent his whole life making us feel loved, special and genuinely cherished. He made us kids feel like the most important, smartest, most unstoppable people. He believed the best in us as he did with all those he met.

Watching my dad become a Grandpa was magical. His grandchildren were his best friends. He made up magical stories as they ran around riding imaginary dragons and conquering their worlds.

They were top priorities, making memories with them was so important. He loved to be so silly with them, to sing, to dance, to chase them and he loved to make them laugh until all their bellies hurt.

He was the center of their world. He loved them in ways and depths that most parents don't even achieve. The smiles and deep laughs were never missing with him around. Watching how immensely he loved and enjoyed his grandchildren was one of the greatest honors of my life.

He was intentional with them too, going to school dances, taekwondo tests, playing games, dancing, taking them on trips, cuddling up to watch a movie with them, or just being as silly as he could to hear their laughter. He adored them, he spoiled them, but most importantly he showed up. He held them, he cried with them and listened to the smallest inconveniences as though they were the most important things in the world. He'd spend hours telling stories and dropped everything if they were in need. From walking and rocking our small infants to sleep, to joining us in awe and amazement at even the smallest accomplishments, he celebrated them daily just as he always celebrated us. No one will ever compare to the love and dedication he had as a dad and grandpa.

Taran: Dad was my best friend. We did so much together throughout my life. We talked several times a day. Whenever he was going to start a new venture, business, launch a new program, or anything, we did it together. Although he was the busiest person I knew, he would never hesitate to drop everything in a moment’s notice if I needed him. He was the type of friend everyone dreamed of. The type of friend that was rarely found outside of a fairy tale story. Dad did so many things so well. In the middle of everything he was so intentional to pour his life into me. He never missed anything important in my life and included me in the most important parts of his. As a child I rode with him doing service calls in his HVAC business. He and I would wake up at 4:30am to do martial arts together. He was the best man at my wedding. We did business consulting together, started companies together, and invested ourselves into serving those in need together. We traveled the world together. He coached me, mentored me, and discipled me to the absolute best of his ability. Aside from the Lord Jesus, I don’t think anyone could have done a better job at helping to form me into the person I’ve become. Sure, he had his faults and shortcomings like we all do. I admired that he was even open and honest enough to share those with me. I feel like over the last few years we really reached a point in our relationship where we grew together. He allowed me to invest in him and we both shared in the journey of becoming the best versions of ourselves that we could be. As much as I feel like I am not ready, I am so honored to be able to carry on his legacy.

Although making it through life without such a special friend, husband, father, and grandpa will be difficult, as a family we want more than anything for his legacy to continue. For those who want to help us carry on his legacy, we would ask that you consider either making a donation to the Mission E4 Legacy Fund or Sponsor a Child through Mission E4 in Scott’s honor. Donations can be made online at www.missione4.com or through mail at 39 Burnshirt Rd Suite N, Hubbardston, MA 01452. Should you wish to sponsor a child, you can send an email to info@missione4.com with a note of your intention.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 4th in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. Appropriate social distancing and wearing of a mask will be required. Funeral services are private. To share a memory or offer an online condolence, please visit www.milesfuneralhome.com